Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Receives “Buy” Rating from Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus reissued their buy rating on shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) in a report issued on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $575.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an outperform rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. UBS Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $560.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $535.00 to $550.00 in a research report on Friday, July 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $575.00 to $630.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, July 25th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $545.00 to $570.00 in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $566.42.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.3 %

COST stock opened at $549.28 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $546.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $515.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Costco Wholesale has a 1-year low of $447.90 and a 1-year high of $571.16. The firm has a market cap of $243.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.69, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.79.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 25th will be issued a $1.02 dividend. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 30.22%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, CFO Richard A. Galanti sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $522.02, for a total transaction of $783,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,850 shares in the company, valued at $12,450,177. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Richard A. Galanti sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $522.02, for a total transaction of $783,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 23,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,450,177. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 1,565 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $533.00, for a total value of $834,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,104,357. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Horizon Bancorp Inc. IN purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. Agur Provident & Training Funds Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, 25 LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.31% 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, 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.