Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories. The company offers sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, liquor, and tobacco and deli products; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, garden and patio products, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal products, office supplies, automotive care products, postages, tickets, apparel, small appliances, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and meat, produce, service deli, and bakery products. It also operates pharmacies, opticals, food courts, hearing-aid centers, and tire installation centers, as well as 636 gas stations; and offers business delivery, travel, same-day grocery, and various other services online in various countries. As of August 29, 2021, the company operated 815 membership warehouses, including 564 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 105 in Canada, 39 in Mexico, 30 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 16 in South Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 12 in Australia, 3 in Spain, 1 in Iceland, 1 in France, and 1 in China. It also operates e-commerce websites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
Costco Wholesale Stock Down 1.1 %
NASDAQ:COST opened at $535.82 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $237.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.69. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $406.51 and a one year high of $612.27. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $495.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $516.09.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 26th. The retailer reported $3.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $52.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.49 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.71% and a net margin of 2.60%. Costco Wholesale's quarterly revenue was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.75 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 13.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Cuts Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 28th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.07%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 28.35%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $516.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 4th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $560.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 5th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $570.00 to $550.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 27th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $615.00 to $590.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $535.00 to $600.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $576.68.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Mary Agnes Wilderotter purchased 850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $470.74 per share, with a total value of $400,129.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 11,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,317,008.30. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Costco Wholesale news, VP James P. Murphy sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.00, for a total value of $1,160,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 37,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,506,720. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mary Agnes Wilderotter purchased 850 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $470.74 per share, with a total value of $400,129.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 11,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,317,008.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,300 shares of company stock valued at $2,609,904. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.
