Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price Down 2% - Should You Sell?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 2% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $1,033.85 and last traded at $1,041.08. Approximately 592,867 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 1,865,286 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,062.54.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Barclays upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.0 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $974.70 and a 200 day moving average of $928.97. The company has a market capitalization of $459.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.78, a PEG ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of COST. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 113,947.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,370,916 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,534,464,000 after acquiring an additional 7,364,453 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,182,316,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 74,796.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,521,893 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,394,465,000 after acquiring an additional 1,519,861 shares during the period. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $95,452,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 100,422.3% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 796,137 shares of the retailer's stock worth $729,476,000 after purchasing an additional 795,345 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.