Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Upgraded at Freedom Broker

Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $1,030.00 target price on the retailer’s stock.

COST has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Roth Capital lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,056.03.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.0%

NASDAQ COST opened at $902.38 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $941.02 and a 200-day moving average of $974.99. The company has a market cap of $400.19 billion, a PE ratio of 45.39, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.86.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth Denman sold 885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,416,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Expansion supports long-term growth: Costco plans to open 14 warehouses across the United States and Canada before the end of 2026, including five in October and nine in November. New locations could increase membership, sales and recurring fee revenue. Costco set to expand with 14 new warehouses across US and Canada
• Positive Sentiment: A relocated Newport News warehouse is scheduled to open in November, providing additional capacity and potentially improving the customer experience in that market. Relocated Newport News Costco set to open in November
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Broker upgraded COST to Buy, offering supportive analyst sentiment after the stock’s recent underperformance. Costco Wholesale Raised to Buy at Freedom Broker
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Costco’s efforts to improve shopping convenience and add seasonal merchandise, initiatives that may strengthen member loyalty and spending relative to Walmart and Amazon. Costco fixed the one thing members hated about shopping there
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, but the reported increase was listed as “NaN,” making the figures unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: A profile of a well-paid Costco meat cutter underscores the company’s wages, benefits and employee retention, but has limited direct impact on near-term financial results. Costco employee discusses wages and career choice
• Negative Sentiment: Costco reportedly shut down its online Marketplace service, raising questions about e-commerce execution and the company’s ability to compete digitally. Costco abruptly shuts down Marketplace online service
• Negative Sentiment: Residents near the planned Lee’s Summit warehouse are concerned about traffic, potentially causing permitting, construction or community-relations friction. Residents concerned Costco’s new Lee’s Summit location will cause traffic issues
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues Costco may have lost part of its competitive edge and questions whether the stock’s premium valuation is justified after recent underperformance. Cramer warns Costco may have lost its edge

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

The company also provides a variety of ancillary services, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical centers, hearing-aid centers, food courts, tire centers, and travel services.