Costco Wholesale’s (COST) “Sector Perform” Rating Reiterated at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed their sector perform rating on shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $1,000.00 price target on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on COST. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,160.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. HSBC raised Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,046.27.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $946.92 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $930.71 and a 200-day moving average of $963.36. The firm has a market cap of $419.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale will post 22.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong September sales momentum: Costco reported approximately $30.02 billion in September net sales, up 13% year over year. Total comparable sales increased 11.4%, U.S. comparable sales rose 12.5%, and digitally enabled sales climbed 19%, supported by stronger traffic and transaction growth. Costco’s September Sales Rise 13% on Strong Comps, Digital Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see improving trends: UBS characterized the September results as evidence of accelerating trends, while Royal Bank of Canada maintained a Sector Perform rating and a $1,000 price target, implying additional upside from recently reported levels. Costco September Sales Point to Accelerating Trends, UBS Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data is inconclusive: A report lists October short interest at zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio. That figure appears inconsistent with normal market data and is unlikely to be a meaningful trading signal without confirmation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst support remains mixed: DA Davidson reiterated a Hold rating following a warehouse-club tour, indicating that strong operating trends have not yet led all analysts to recommend buying the stock. Costco Stock: Here’s What DA Davidson Found During Its Warehouse Club Tour
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and margin risks temper the sales beat: RBC noted that Costco’s growth may already be reflected in its share price. Analysts also cautioned that gasoline, foreign exchange, and other one-time or lower-margin factors contributed to the September improvement, potentially limiting the impact on earnings and margins. Costco’s Sales Rebound in September Looks Great on Paper

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.

Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.