Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price Up 1.2% – Time to Buy?

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) rose 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $986.75 and last traded at $975.29. Approximately 514,090 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 1,854,878 shares. The stock had previously closed at $964.02.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on COST shares. TD Cowen upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,090.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $755.00 to $907.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $953.78 and a 200 day moving average of $906.03. The firm has a market cap of $434.49 billion, a PE ratio of 57.48, a P/E/G ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Next Level Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $409,000. TigerOak Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $661,000. Vivid Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vivid Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,411,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,189,000. Finally, Aveo Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 44.1% during the 4th quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,677 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.