Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Will Pay Special Dividend of $30.00

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) declared a special dividend on Tuesday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $30.00 per share by the retailer on Friday, December 4th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th.

Costco Wholesale has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.2% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. Costco Wholesale has a dividend payout ratio of 29.5% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Costco Wholesale to earn $24.94 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 23.6%.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock traded up $11.97 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $1,078.11. 616,453 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,203,207. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $477.74 billion, a PE ratio of 51.92, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.85. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $957.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $973.36.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

These are some of the COST headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Costco declared a $30-per-share special cash dividend, totaling approximately $13.3 billion. It is payable December 4 to shareholders of record November 24. The company also reauthorized a $4 billion stock buyback, signaling substantial cash returns to shareholders. Costco dividend and repurchase announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer included Costco among his picks, while Barron’s characterized the retailer as a high-quality, defensive business—qualities investors may value amid market uncertainty. Costco as a defensive investment
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker lowered its rating on COST from “buy” to “hold,” although it raised its price target to $1,050, slightly below the cited share price. This offers a note of caution as the stock trades near its 52-week high.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line. The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.