Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading 0.1% Higher - Should You Buy?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) shares rose 0.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $890.98 and last traded at $887.59. Approximately 197,459 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 1,932,778 shares. The stock had previously closed at $886.77.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $950.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. StockNews.com cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $985.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $1,065.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $894.57.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.8 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business's 50-day moving average is $890.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $836.49. The firm has a market cap of $395.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.92, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The business had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.86 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.00%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total value of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 22,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,015,745. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction of $437,025.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,015,745. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,320,787.50. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,224 shares of company stock worth $9,974,973 in the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at $32,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 73.5% during the second quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 59 shares of the retailer's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

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.