Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group restated their outperform rating on shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) in a research note released on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $800.00 price target on the retailer’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on COST. Citigroup upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded Costco Wholesale from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $760.00 to $805.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Loop Capital cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $830.00 to $820.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $694.48.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of COST stock opened at $779.04 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.95, a P/E/G ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $731.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $676.58. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $476.75 and a twelve month high of $787.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.80% and a net margin of 2.73%. The business had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.30 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 15.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 30.35%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 785 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $722.86, for a total value of $567,445.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,228,600. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total value of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Richelieu Gestion SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Morton Brown Family Wealth LLC now owns 45 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% 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, 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.