Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price Down 0.4% - Time to Sell?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) shares dropped 0.4% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $1,068.01 and last traded at $1,072.63. Approximately 398,902 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 1,883,499 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,076.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $1,016.00 price target on the stock. Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,040.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,021.93.

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Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $471.66 billion, a PE ratio of 62.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $973.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $928.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 27.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in COST. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $659,000. Blue Sky Capital Consultants Group Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,905,000. Warm Springs Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $3,841,000. Richmond Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $322,000. Finally, Cache Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $388,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.