Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading 1.1% Higher – Still a Buy?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)’s share price shot up 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $956.55 and last traded at $953.45. 559,702 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 1,765,987 shares. The stock had previously closed at $943.19.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,019.00 to $1,020.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,013.59.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $950.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $902.31. The firm has a market cap of $419.36 billion, a PE ratio of 55.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 7,050 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,460,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Insight Inv LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. Insight Inv LLC now owns 714 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $654,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 266.4% in the fourth quarter. B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 13,149 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,048,000 after acquiring an additional 9,560 shares in the last quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc. now owns 11,991 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,987,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grange Capital LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $471,000. 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.