Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Given New $900.00 Price Target at DA Davidson

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price increased by equities researchers at DA Davidson from $880.00 to $900.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the retailer’s stock. DA Davidson’s target price suggests a potential downside of 9.55% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $986.68.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock traded up $6.59 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $994.98. 1,885,800 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,924,494. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $924.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $883.45. Costco Wholesale has a fifty-two week low of $630.30 and a fifty-two week high of $1,007.80. The firm has a market cap of $440.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.05, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The business had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.86 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale will post 17.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $896.71, for a total transaction of $1,793,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 10,210 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,155,409.10. This trade represents a 16.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at $24,514,232. The trade was a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,016 shares of company stock worth $9,826,115 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 11.3% in the second quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 530 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 55.8% during the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 522 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 33.4% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 15,084 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,821,000 after buying an additional 3,780 shares during the period. Oakworth Capital Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.9% in the second quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 1,839 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CAP Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. CAP Partners LLC now owns 515 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $438,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.