Costco Wholesale (COST) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Thursday

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) is scheduled to issue its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Thursday, September 26th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $5.02 per share for the quarter. Individual that are interested in registering for the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST traded up $8.22 during trading on Thursday, hitting $900.74. 1,746,315 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,942,167. The company has a market cap of $399.33 billion, a PE ratio of 55.74, a P/E/G ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Costco Wholesale has a fifty-two week low of $540.23 and a fifty-two week high of $923.83. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $862.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $809.24.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, July 26th were given a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 350 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $851.53, for a total value of $298,035.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,041,057.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock worth $4,252,856 in the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $676.00 price target (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 31st. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $875.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $844.52.

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.