Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.5% - What's Next?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) shares were down 0.5% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $1,068.01 and last traded at $1,071.85. Approximately 1,409,326 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average daily volume of 1,921,622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,076.86.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Raymond James increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment 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, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $974.70 and a 200 day moving average of $928.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $459.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $1.16 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 27.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. AMF Tjanstepension AB bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $42,896,000. Swedbank AB lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 443,747 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $393,391,000 after purchasing an additional 6,495 shares in the last quarter. Blossom Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blossom Wealth Management now owns 679 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $602,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Community Trust & Investment Co. now owns 18,548 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $16,443,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Liberty Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. now owns 16,301 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $14,451,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.