Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 0.2% After Analyst Upgrade

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 0.2% during trading on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $855.00 to $950.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Costco Wholesale traded as high as $900.69 and last traded at $897.92. Approximately 288,897 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 1,950,206 shares. The stock had previously closed at $896.49.

COST has been the subject of several other research reports. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $780.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $975.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $870.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $844.52.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Vima LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.2 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $396.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.63, a PEG ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.80. The company's 50 day moving average price is $858.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $801.88.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.