Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.1% - What's Next?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $923.50 and last traded at $926.80. 943,499 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 1,635,593 shares. The stock had previously closed at $927.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Roth Mkm raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $415.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.02, a PEG ratio of 6.02 and a beta of 0.84. The stock's 50 day moving average is $946.73 and its 200 day moving average is $897.99.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total value of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,155,409.10. The trade was a 16.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total transaction of $1,266,866.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,300.0% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 308 shares of the retailer's stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 7,402 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,292,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,394,060 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,184,937,000 after buying an additional 30,359 shares during the last quarter. Campbell Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $237,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 1,026 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.