Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Given New $915.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its price objective lifted by Stifel Nicolaus from $910.00 to $915.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on COST. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $765.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Roth Mkm restated a neutral rating and issued a $676.00 target price (up from $650.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $927.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $780.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $828.73.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $876.68 on Friday. Costco Wholesale has a fifty-two week low of $540.23 and a fifty-two week high of $918.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $388.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.32, a PEG ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $857.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $799.68.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $874.05, for a total transaction of $437,025.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,015,745. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total transaction of $543,430.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856 over the last quarter. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COST. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Vima LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.