Costco Wholesale Corporation Company Profile (NASDAQ:COST)

Costco Wholesale Corporation trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "COST."

Costco Wholesale Corporation declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, August 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share on Friday, September 1st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 16th. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale Corporation's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. View Costco Wholesale Corporation's Dividend History.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May, 25th. The company reported $1.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.01. The company earned $26.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $26.98 billion. Costco Wholesale Corporation had a net margin of 2.06% and a return on equity of 20.45%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.11 earnings per share. View Costco Wholesale Corporation's Earnings History.

Costco Wholesale Corporation is scheduled to release their next quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday, October, 5th 2017. View Earnings Estimates for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

27 brokers have issued twelve-month target prices for Costco Wholesale Corporation's shares. Their forecasts range from $140.00 to $201.00. On average, they anticipate Costco Wholesale Corporation's share price to reach $178.83 in the next year. View Analyst Ratings for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

Here are some recent quotes from research analysts about Costco Wholesale Corporation stock:

• 1. According to Zacks Investment Research, "Costco continues to be one of the dominant retail wholesalers based on the breadth and quality of merchandise offered. The stock has outpaced the industry in a year. This came on the backdrop of continued sturdy comps performance and upbeat results in third-quarter fiscal 2017, thereby sidelining the woes, which have gripped the brick-and-mortar retailers for some time now. Major chains are grappling with soft store and mall traffic as consumers choose to shop online. But Costco seems somewhat unfazed by tough retail scenario. We believe that the hike in annual membership fees and increased penetration of Citi Visa co-brand card program will also benefit the stock in the near term. We are also encouraged by Costco’s expansion strategy, as it remains committed to opening new clubs and expanding e-Commerce capabilities. However, stiff competition and cautious consumer spending remain causes of concern. Of late, estimates have been stable." (9/19/2017)
• 2. Citigroup Inc. analysts commented, "COST reported 1Q17 EPS of $1.17 (-5.5% y/y) below of our $1.35 estimate and the Street's $1.36. Reasons we'd buy COST on a post-2Q dip: 1) The new credit card benefitted 2Q EPS by $0.16 and is seeing strong trends in account activation, card usage and new sign-ups. 2) COST announced a North American membership fee increase of ~10% to go into effect 6/1. The additional revenue affords COST the ability to further invest in pricing for members, an important lever for growth. 3) Online sales reaccelerated to +12% in 2Q, from +8% in 1Q, driven by COST's investments in site functionality, merch availability and delivery/returns. 4) The dynamics underlying our expectation for accelerating SSS growth in 2H17 remain in place. 5) COST's capital structure is solid, supporting our belief that another special dividend could be paid this year. We reiterate our Buy rating on COST." (3/6/2017)
• 3. Cowen and Company analysts commented, "In addition to appreciating $39.99 red roses we are buyers of COST as we expect steady traffic gains should continue on superior value and brands, an appealing shopping experience, & a global runway of growth. The qtr. did highlight changes ahead including promotional direct mail changes, membership fee increases, & online expansion ' these factors should help fortify long-term growth. What's MVM?.. We believe Costco is well positioned to continue delivering double-digit earnings growth over the near to medium term driven by square footage growth, steady membership revenue growth, and positive same-store sales comps. Costco's higher income customer base (average household income of ~$96,000) is faring better economically than low- to middle-income consumers, who continue to struggle with wage growth. We believe superb price/value, luxury product, and streamlined assortment helps drive a sustainable high-margin membership stream. Rated Outperform with a $170 PT based on ~28x FY2017E EPS." (3/3/2017)
• 4. BMO Capital Markets analysts commented, "Costco reported a large F2Q17 EPS miss given several margin-related headwinds. On the positive side, Costco also announced it is raising membership fees in the U.S. and Canada on June 1 by ~9% and U.S. customer traffic remained a solid +3% in February. We rate COST shares Outperform with a $180 target price." (3/3/2017)
• 5. Wells Fargo & Company analysts commented, "We are raising our FY17/18 EPS estimates by $0.02 each to $5.85/$6.50 owing primarily to recent fluctuations in FX and fuel. Reiterate Market Perform." (2/2/2017)

Costco Wholesale Corporation same store sales climbed 7.3% in the month of August. Costco Wholesale Corporation shares rose by 1.5% in the first full-day of trading following the news.

Costco Wholesale Corporation saw a increase in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 15,112,603 shares, an increase of 17.4% from the August 15th total of 12,867,950 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,657,780 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days. Approximately 3.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Some companies that are related to Costco Wholesale Corporation include McDonald's Corporation (MCD), Inditex (IDEXY), The Priceline Group (PCLN), Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), CVS Health Corporation (CVS), Starbucks Corporation (SBUX), Lowe's Companies (LOW), Kering Unspon (PPRUY), TJX Companies, Inc. (The) (TJX), Hennes & Mauritz AB (HNNMY), Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de CV (WMMVY), eBay (EBAY), Target Corporation (TGT), Yum! Brands (YUM), Ross Stores (ROST), Expedia (EXPE), Dollar General Corporation (DG) and Tesco PLC (TSCDY).

Costco Wholesale Corporation's management team includes the folowing people:

• Hamilton E. James, Chairman of the Board
• W. Craig Jelinek, President, Chief Executive Officer, Director
• Richard A. Galanti, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President
• Ron M. Vachris, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Merchandising
• Paul G. Moulton, Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer
• Franz E. Lazarus, Executive Vice President - Administration
• John D. McKay, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Northern Division
• James P. Murphy, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer - International
• Joseph P. Portera, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Eastern and Canadian Divisions, Chief Diversity Officer
• Timothy L. Rose, Executive Vice President - Ancillary Businesses, Manufacturing, and Business Centers

Costco Wholesale Corporation's stock is owned by a number of of retail and institutional investors. Top institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc. (7.67%), BlackRock Inc. (5.68%), State Street Corp (4.14%), Capital World Investors (4.05%), FMR LLC (2.51%) and Capital Research Global Investors (2.12%). Company insiders that own Costco Wholesale Corporation stock include Daniel M Hines, David S Petterson, Dennis R Zook, Douglas W Schutt, Franz E Lazarus, James D Sinegal, James P Murphy, Jeffrey H Brotman, Jill S Ruckelshaus, John D Mckay, John W Meisenbach, John W Stanton, Joseph P Portera, Paul G Moulton, Richard A Galanti, Richard M Libenson, Roland Michael Vachris and Timothy L Rose. View Institutional Ownership Trends for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

Costco Wholesale Corporation's stock was sold by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including FMR LLC, Lazard Asset Management LLC, Voya Investment Management LLC, Jennison Associates LLC, Neuberger Berman Group LLC, Bank of New York Mellon Corp, Renaissance Technologies LLC and TIAA CREF Investment Management LLC. Company insiders that have sold Costco Wholesale Corporation stock in the last year include Daniel M Hines, David S Petterson, Dennis R Zook, James D Sinegal, James P Murphy, John D Mckay, John W Meisenbach, Paul G Moulton, Richard A Galanti, Richard M Libenson, Roland Michael Vachris and Timothy L Rose. View Insider Buying and Selling for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

Costco Wholesale Corporation's stock was bought by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including Janus Henderson Group PLC, Harbour Capital Advisors LLC, Capital World Investors, Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc., Principal Financial Group Inc., Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC and Alliancebernstein L.P.. View Insider Buying and Selling for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages include Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Scottrade, Fidelity and Charles Schwab.

One share of Costco Wholesale Corporation stock can currently be purchased for approximately $161.29.