Costco (COST) (CPSI) (DISH) (SNCR) (SOA) (MCHX) (MS) Ratings, Price Targets

Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Computer Programs & Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CPSI), DISH (NASDAQ: DISH), Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR), Solutia Inc. (NYSE: SOA), Marchex, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHX) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) ratings and price targets.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Costco (COST). They have a price target of $97.00 on the company.

Auriga reiterated its "Buy" rating on Computer Programs & Systems, Inc. (CPSI).

Brean Murray Carret & Co. reiterated its "Buy" rating on DISH (DISH).

Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (SNCR) was downgraded by Sidoti from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Solutia Inc. (SOA) was downgraded by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) from an “Outperform” rating to a “Market Perform” rating.

Marchex, Inc. (MCHX) was upgraded by BMO Capital Markets from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Outperform” rating.

Morgan Stanley (MS) was upgraded by Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating.

Costco (COST) (SKX) (SNN) (SPRD) (CNQR) (CNW) Downgraded

Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Skechers Inc. (NYSE: SKX), Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN), Spreadtrum (NASDAQ: SPRD), Concur Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNQR) and Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) were downgraded by analysts.

Skechers Inc. (SKX) was downgraded by B. Riley from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Smith & Nephew (SNN) was downgraded by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Spreadtrum (SPRD) was downgraded by Citigroup (NYSE:C) to an “Underperform” rating.

Concur Technologies, Inc. (CNQR) was downgraded by Jefferies Group (NYSE:JEF) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Con-way Inc. (CNW) was downgraded by BB&T (NYSE:BBT) from a “Buy” rating to a “Hold” rating.

Costco (COST) was downgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein from a “Market Perform” rating to an “Underperform” rating.

Costco (COST) (CVC) (NUAN) (PLL) (POWI) (COO) Ratings Reiterated

Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Cablevision (NYSE: CVC), Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN), Pall Co. (NYSE: PLL), Power Integrations (NASDAQ: POWI) and The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE: COO) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) reiterated its "Neutral" rating on Costco (COST).

Nomura reiterated its "Buy" rating on Cablevision (CVC).

Needham & Company reiterated its "Buy" rating on Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN).

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) reiterated its "Hold" rating on Pall Co. (PLL).

Needham & Company reiterated its "Buy" rating on Power Integrations (POWI).

Jefferies reiterated its "Hold" rating on The Cooper Companies, Inc. (COO).

Costco (COST) (EXPE) (JCP) (LLL) (LVS) (MMM) Ratings Reiterated

Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE), J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP), L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and 3M Company (NYSE: MMM) had ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Equalweight" rating on Costco (COST).

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Equalweight" rating on Expedia, Inc. (EXPE).

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP).

Barclays Capital reiterated its "Overweight" rating on L-3 Communications (LLL).

Brean Murray Carret & Co. reiterated its "Buy" rating on Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS).

Barclays Capital (NYSE:BCS) reiterated its "Equalweight" rating on 3M Company (MMM).

eBay (EBAY) (MMC) (NUAN) (OPNT) (COST) (DGX) (GEOI) Get New Coverage

eBay, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), Marsh & Mclennan Com (NYSE: MMC), Nuance Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN), OPNET Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPNT), Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Quest Diagnostics Inc. (NYSE: DGX) and GeoResources, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEOI) getting new coverage from analysts.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) initiated coverage on Marsh & Mclennan Com (MMC). They placed a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Mizuho initiated coverage on Nuance Communications Inc. (NUAN). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $28.00 on the company.

Evercore Partners initiated coverage on OPNET Technologies, Inc. (OPNT). They placed an “Overweight” rating and a price target of $45.00 on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) initiated coverage on Costco (COST). They placed a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $87.00 on the company.

Auriga initiated coverage on Quest Diagnostics Inc. (DGX). They placed a “hold” rating on the company.

Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on eBay, Inc. (EBAY). They placed a “Hold” rating and a price target of $34.00 on the company.

Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on GeoResources, Inc. (GEOI). They placed a “Buy” rating and a price target of $43.00 on the company.

Costco (COST) (RIMM) (ULTA) (XNPT) (ADS) (ALLT) Price Targets Changed

Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM), Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (NASDAQ: ULTA), Xenoport Inc. (NASDAQ: XNPT), Alliance Data Systems Co. (NYSE: ADS) and Allot Communications Ltd. (NASDAQ: ALLT) had price targets on them adjusted by analysts.

Research In Motion (RIMM) had its price target lowered by National Bank to $10.00.

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (ULTA) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) to $80.00. They have an “Overweight” rating on the company.

Xenoport Inc. (XNPT) had its price target lowered by Wedbush to $15.00.

Alliance Data Systems Co. (ADS) had its price target raised by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) to $110.00. They have a “Neutral” rating on the company.

Allot Communications Ltd. (ALLT) had its price target raised by RBC Capital from $18.00 to $20.00. They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Costco (COST) had its price target raised by Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC)to $99.00.

Transcept (TSPT) (TUP) (UNFI) (CBB) (CF) (COST) Ratings, Price Targets

Transcept Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (TSPT), Tupperware Brands Co. (TUP), United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), Cincinnati Bell Inc. (CBB), CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF) and Costco (COST) ratings and price targets.

McNicoll Lewis & Vlak reiterated its “Buy” rating on Transcept Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (TSPT). They have a price target of $21.00 on the company.

SunTrust (NYSE:STI) downgraded Tupperware Brands Co. (TUP) from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating.

Jefferies (NYSE:JEF) raised its price target on United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) to $44.00.

Brigantine initiated coverage on Cincinnati Bell Inc. (CBB). They placed a “Buy” rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its “Overweight” rating on CF Industries Holdings Inc. (CF).

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated its “Buy” rating on Costco (COST). They have a price target of $89.00 on the company.

Costco (COST) (SUSQ) (SYA) (TFM) (CSTR) (CWST) Ratings, Price Targets

Costco (COST), Susquehanna Bank (SUSQ), Symetra Financial (SYA), The Fresh Market Inc. (TFM), Coinstar (CSTR) and Casella Waste Systems Inc. (CWST) ratings and price targets.

Sterne Agee upgraded Susquehanna Bank (SUSQ) from a “Neutral” rating to a “Buy” rating. They have a price target of $9.50 on the company.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) upgraded Symetra Financial (SYA) to a “Neutral” rating.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated its “Hold” rating on The Fresh Market Inc. (TFM). They have a price target of $33.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:PJC) reiterated its “Overweight” rating on Costco (COST).

Piper Jaffray reiterated its “Overweight” on Coinstar (CSTR). They have a price target of $68.00 on the company.

Wunderlich reiterated its “Buy” rating on Casella Waste Systems

Inc. (CWST). They have a price target of $8.50 on the company.

Mattel (MAT) (BMO) (MS) (CME) (ICE) (COST) (DRYS) EPS Estimates Changed

Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO), Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), CME Group Inc. (NYSE: CME), IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE: ICE), Costco (NASDAQ: COST) and DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) had their EPS estimates adjusted by analysts.

BMO Capital Markets raised its EPS estimates on Bank of Montreal (BMO). They have a “Market Perform” rating and a price target of $72.00 on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised its EPS estimates on CME Group Inc. (CME). They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $325.00 on the company.

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) raised its EPS estimates on Costco (COST). They have an “Outperform” rating on the company.

Sterne Agee lowered its EPS estimates on DryShips Inc. (DRYS). They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $6.00 on the company.

UBS AG raised its EPS estimates on IntercontinentalExchange (ICE). They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $140.00 on the company.

UBS AG raised its EPS estimates on Mattel, Inc. (MAT). They have a “Buy” rating and a price target of $33.00 on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) cut its EPS estimates on Morgan Stanley (MS). They have a “Neutral” rating and a price target of $20.00 on the company.

Apple (AAPL) (CLWR) (CMCSA) (COST) (EEP) (YHOO) Ratings Reiterated

Apple, Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR), Comcast Co. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Costco (NASDAQ: COST), Enbridge Energy Partners LP (NYSE: EEP) and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) have ratings on them reiterated by analysts.

Piper Jaffray (NYSE:JPC) reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Apple, Inc (AAPL) was . They have a price target of $607.00 on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) reiterated its "Underweight" rating on Clearwire (CLWR).

Wunderlich reiterated its "Buy" rating on Comcast Co. (CMCSA). They have a price target of $33.00 on the company.

Piper Jaffray reiterated its "Overweight" rating on Costco (COST).

Morgan Keegan reiterated its "Outperform" rating on Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP). They have a price target of $35.00 on the company.

Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) reiterated its "Hold" rating on Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO). They have a price target of $13.00 on the company.

Price Targets on (ARO) (CI) (COMV) (COST) (DTV) Updated

Analysts updated their price targets on Aeropostale, Inc. (NYSE: ARO), CIGNA Co. (NYSE: CI), Comverge Inc (NASDAQ: COMV), Costco (NASDAQ: COST) and DirecTV (NYSE: DTV) today.

Oppenheimer cut their price target on Aeropostale, Inc. (ARO) from $31.00 to $27.00. They have an “outperform” rating on the company.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) raised their price target on CIGNA Co. (CI) to $60.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Needham & Company cut their price target on Comverge Inc (COMV) from $9.00 to $7.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the company.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) raised their price target on Costco (COST) to $90.00. They have an “overweight” rating on the company.

UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) raised their price target on DirecTV (DTV) to $55.00. They have a “buy” rating on the company.

Dividends of (UGI) (PH) (CFR) (JNJ) (COH) Boosted

Arch Coal Inc. (ACI), Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST), American States Water Company (AWR), Williams Partners L.P. (WMB) and Artesian Resources Corporation (ARTNA) all have boosted their dividends recently.

Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) raised its quarterly dividend on April 28th 10 percent or $0.11 a share. The dividend is payable June 15, 2011, to shareholders of record on June 1, 2011. The new payout has a yield of 1.2 percent.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) raised its quarterly dividend on April 26th 1.7 percent to $0.24 a share. The dividend is payable May 27, 2011, to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 13, 2011. The new payout has a yield of 1.1 percent.

American States Water Company (AWR) raised its dividend on April 27 7.7 percent to 0.28 a share. The new payout has a yield of 3.2 percent.

Williams Partners L.P. (WMB) raised its quarterly dividend on April 26th 60 percent to $0.20 a share. The dividend is payable June 27, 2011, to holders of record at the close of business on June 10. The new payout has a yield of 2.4 percent.

Artesian Resources Corporation (ARTNA) raised its quarterly dividend on April 27th 0.5 percent to $0.1902 a share. The dividend is payable on May 20, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 10, 2011. The new payout has a yield of 3.9 percent.

Dividend Yields for (SWY) (KR) (WAG) (CVS) (COST)

Indicated dividend yields for Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies Safeway Inc (SWY), Kroger Co (KR), Walgreen Co (WAG), CVS Caremark Corp (CVS) and Costco Wholesale Corp (COST).

These dividend data indicate dividend yields of companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index as of Saturday, April 30. The yield is determined by taking the latest declared dividend, annualized and divided by the price of the stock. Payout ratios are calculated based on latest quarterly dividend paid divided by earnings.

Safeway Inc (SWY) has a dividend yield of 1.97 percent on a declared dividend of $0.12. The payout ratio is 175.0 percent.

Kroger Co (KR) has a dividend yield of 1.73 percent on a declared dividend of $0.10. The payout ratio is 23.6 percent.

Walgreen Co (WAG) has a dividend yield of 1.64 percent on a declared dividend of $0.17. The payout ratio is 21.9 percent.

CVS Caremark Corp (CVS) has a dividend yield of 1.38 percent on a declared dividend of $0.12. The payout ratio is 11.6 percent.

Costco Wholesale Corp (COST) has a dividend yield of 1.19 percent on a declared dividend of $0.24. The payout ratio is 25.7 percent.

March Retail (TGT) (COST) (BJ) (JCP) Sales Mixed

As expected, March retail sales were mixed today as a number of retailers reported for the month earlier in the session.

Discounters like Costco (NASDAQ:COST) and BJ's Wholesale (NYSE:BJ) soared as expected, along with high end stores like Saks (NYSE:SKS).

Limited (NYSE:LTD) was the top performer of the companies reporting today, with sales jumping 14 percent in March.

Worst in the group was Kohl's (NYSE:KSS), whose sales fell 6.5 percent last month.

Here are those retailers with sales gains in March:

Costco (COST) - up 8%; Macy's (NYSE: M) - up 0.9%; Limited (LTD) - up 14%; The Buckle (NYSE:BKE) - up 8.4%; Zumiez (NASDAQ:ZUMZ) - up 8.9%; BJ's Wholesale (BJ) - up 5.3%; Saks (SKS) - up 11.1%; and Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) - up 5.1%.

Retailers which lost sales in March:

Target (NYSE:TGT) - down 5.5%; JCPenney (NYSE:JCP) - down 0.3%; Gap (NYSE:GPS) - down 10%; Kohl's (KSS) - down 6.5%; TJX (NYSE:TJX) - down 1%; and Hot Topic (Nasdaq:HOTT) - down 5%.

Jitters Over (TGT) (BJ) (COST) (KSS) (JCP) (SKS) (JWN) (M) (SSI) March Sales Report

With Macy's (NYSE:M), Target (NYSE:TGT), BJ's Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ), Costco (Nasdaq:COST), Kohl's (NYSE:KSS), Stage Stores (NYSE:SSI), J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), Saks (NYSE:SKS) and Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) all reporting March sales today, shareholders and investors have jitters over the narrative that will probably emerge; one that most won't like for some of these companies.

On the positive side, Costco and BJ's Wholesale Club should generate improvements in same-store sales, based on getting more benefits from higher gas prices. Macy's and Nordstrom may also turn in a good quarter.

Barclays said, "Ahead of these results, we are raising our Barclays Capital Broadlines/Dept. Stores Same Store-Sales Index estimate for March to (0.8)% from (2.1)% compared with an 11.3% increase last year. The increase in our index is attributable to our expectations for higher comps for Costco and BJ's Wholesale Club, due to a larger benefit from gas prices, as well as our expectations for continued solid momentum at Macy's and Nordstrom, despite the Easter shift. We are raising our estimate for Costco to 6%-8% from 3%-5%, our estimate for BJ's to 0%-2% from (1)%-1%, our estimate for Macy's to (1)%-(3)% from (2)%-(4)%, and our estimate for Nordstrom to 1%-3% from (2)%-(4)%."

Concerning April, the optimism fades though. "We believe overall sales were solid in March; however, we expect the shift of Easter into April out of March, as well as tough comparisons last year, to have a negative impact on this month's results...We are maintaining our estimate for an 11.8% increase in our index in April," Barclays concluded.

It seems the reports will be a mixed bag, as Bed Bath & Beyond may have stolen some business from Target, and there could be some other surprises in there.

Retailers (BJ) (WAG) (DG) (WMT) (COST) Trading Mixed

Shares or retailers like BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ), Walgreen (NYSE:WAG), Dollar General (NYSE:DG), Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE:WMT) Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) were trading mixed today, although those listed here, with the exception of Walgreen, were trading up early in the session.

BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. reached a confidentiality agreement with private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners for a possible deal and discounter Dollar General Corp. reported a better-than-expected profit.

On the downside, Walgreen Co. (WAG) tumbled 7.6%, making it the largest percentage decliner in the S&P 500 index (SPX), after the drugstore chain’s same-store sales and gross margin fell short of some analysts’ estimates.

Walgreen’s fiscal second-quarter same-store sales rose 4.1%, missing the 4.4% increase estimated by Citigroup. Its non-pharmacy sales and prescription same-store sales both missed expectations as well, while its gross margin contracted slightly versus Citigroup’s expectation for a wider margin, analyst Deborah Weinswig said.

Shares of Dollar General (DG) rose 2.3%. The discount retailer said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit more than doubled, after it cut advertising and compensation costs and saw more shoppers, who spent more on items ranging from apparel to consumable products.

Retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) shares were up 0.2%.

Also heading higher, shares of BJ’s Wholesale Club (BJ) rose 3.1%. The company and private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners LP reached a confidentiality agreement in which Leonard Green will look at BJ’s books — or what BJ’s called “evaluation material” — for consideration of a possible deal to take the company private, BJ’s reported in a filing with the SEC.




Source

Costco (NASDAQ:COST) Long-Term Quality Growth Play, Look For Better Entry Point

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) continues to perform strongly in a tough economic environment, and should keep growing, according to UBS, which recommends waiting for a better entry point.

UBS says, "We expect the company to continue to deliver attractive sales growth (+7.3% for January). Despite upcoming tougher compares, Costco remains one of the few Staple retailers that could pass through rising inflation and keep comps >5%. While the shares have performed well, and we continue to view Costco as a high quality long-term growth play, we would look to better near term entry points to add."

UBS reiterates a "Neutral" rating on Costco Wholesale (COST), which closed Tuesday at $72.46, losing $0.16, or 0.22 percent. UBS raised their price target on Costco from $68 to $73.

Target (NYSE:TGT), Costco (Nasdaq:COST), Macy's (NYSE:M), Gap (NYSE:GPS) Plunge on Weak December Sales

Christmas sales in December came in way under expectations, hammering the retail sector, with stocks like Target (NYSE:TGT), Costco (Nasdaq:COST), Macy's (NYSE:M) and Gap (NYSE:GPS) plummeting on the news.

While sales in November were strong, all of that was discount-generated, and it'll come down to margins and earnings as to whether that will ultimately be viewed as a positive, with the probability of low earnings being the result.

For the period of October 31 through January 1, same-store sales grew by 3.8 percent for the retail sector from last year during the same quarter, the best performance since 2006. But again, the bottom line is earnings not sales, and that's what we have yet to hear.

Another problem heading into 2011 is the training of customers to expect bargains at a time when clothing prices will be going up because of increasing prices of cotton.

Those attempting to spin this as a great season are delusional. Even the high-end retailers had to discount in order to attract customers. Their sales were better as a result, but at the cost of earnings.

Costco closed Thursday at $70.65, down $0.34, or 0.48 percent. Macy's closed at $23.97, down $1.00, or 4.00 percent. Gap ended the session at $20.70, down $1.53, or 6.88 percent. Target closed the day at $54.93, down $4.01, or 6.80 percent.

Target (NYSE:TGT), Kohl's (NYSE:KSS), J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), Saks (NYSE:SKS), Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN), Macy's (NYSE:M), BJ's (NYSE:BJ), Costco (NYSE:COST), Stage Stores (NYSE:SSI) Reporting December Sales Today

Target (NYSE:TGT), Kohl's (NYSE:KSS), J.C. Penney (NYSE:JCP), Saks (NYSE:SKS), Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN), Macy's (NYSE:M), BJ's (NYSE:BJ), Costco (NYSE:COST) and Stage Stores (NYSE:SSI) are all going to report December sales today, following in the footsteps of recent practices of retailers in the past years.

Barclays said, "Ahead of Thursday's results, we are slightly raising our Barclays Capital Broadlines/Dept. Stores Same Store-Sales Index estimate for November to 4.7% from 4.5% compared with a 3.7% increase last year. The increase in our index is attributable to Nordstrom, which we raised to 5%-7% from 0%-2%. In addition, we are expecting a positive comp result this quarter from Wal-Mart, and we expect Sears comps to decline (3.5)% in 4Q10. Finally, we expect that Tiffany sales increased in-line with our 4Q10 comp estimate of 2%."

"We believe that strength seen in November continued through December and the remainder of the holiday season, and now expect our Barclays Capital Broadlines/Dept. Stores Same Store-Sales Index for the combined November/December period to post the largest increase since 2003. Calendar shifts and Christmas timing appeared to be a non-event. However, the after-Christmas snow storms on the East Coast may have had a slightly negative impact on December sales."

"We believe that inventory levels are largely in good condition and promotional activity remained mostly at planned and reasonable levels. January should enable retailers to handle existing clearance merchandise and set the floors for spring."

Tiffany (NYSE:TIF) will be issue a press release concerning holiday sales next Tuesday.

Costco (NASDAQ:COST) Driving Top and Bottom Line Growth Says Goldman (NYSE:GS)

After talking with Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) came away with an outlook that the warehouser is driving both top and bottom line growth.

Goldman noted, "In our view, details from the call confirmed that the company has reached an inflection point, where it is not only driving top-line growth, but bringing more of it down to the bottom-line."

EPS estimates for full year 2011, full year 2012 and full year 2013 and remain the same at $3.36, $3.75, and $4.07.

Goldman Sachs reiterated their "Buy' rating on Costco Wholesale, which closed Thursday at $71.02, up $1.77, or 2.56 percent. They raised their price target on them from $71 to $77.