Costco Wholesale (COST) Scheduled to Post Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) will announce its earnings results after the market closes on Thursday, September 26th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $5.02 per share for the quarter. Investors interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.7 %

COST opened at $901.54 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale has a 52 week low of $540.23 and a 52 week high of $923.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $867.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $813.69. The firm has a market cap of $399.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.80.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 26th were given a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Melius Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. They set a “hold” rating and a $950.00 target price for the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $874.00 to $962.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Argus lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $805.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $780.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 6th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $857.48.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,545,746.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $863.88, for a total transaction of $431,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,560,344. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.