Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.07 EPS

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07), Zacks reports. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.0 %

Costco Wholesale stock traded down $21.13 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1,026.62. The company had a trading volume of 2,529,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,835,856. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $455.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.28, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.24. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $987.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $941.75.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $1.16 dividend. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $1,095.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $909.00 to $935.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Costco Wholesale stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.