Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.6%

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) shot up 1.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $768.29 and last traded at $768.29. 433,812 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 2,019,061 shares. The stock had previously closed at $756.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $601.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Gordon Haskett cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating and set a $775.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $694.48.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.0 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $342.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The business's fifty day moving average is $731.22 and its 200 day moving average is $675.97.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.62 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $58.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.30 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 15.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,442 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $723.48, for a total value of $1,043,258.16. Following the sale, the director now owns 12,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,967,534.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,727 shares of company stock worth $2,682,948. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COST. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the first quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 995 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $729,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Arlington Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Arlington Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,295 shares of the retailer's stock worth $949,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 892 shares of the retailer's stock worth $589,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the first quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 1,535 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the first quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. now owns 4,472 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,276,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.