Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on COST. DA Davidson restated a neutral rating and issued a $780.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, August 12th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $915.00 to $925.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $828.73.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $876.68 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $857.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $799.68. Costco Wholesale has a 52 week low of $540.23 and a 52 week high of $918.93. The company has a market cap of $388.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.32, a PEG ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter worth $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Vima LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.