Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.2%

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) shares were down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $791.36 and last traded at $791.68. Approximately 388,717 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average daily volume of 1,989,954 shares. The stock had previously closed at $793.07.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of 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. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, May 6th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $695.08.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $734.09 and its 200-day moving average is $685.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.78, a PEG ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.58%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Richelieu Gestion SA acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the fourth quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

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.