Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. decreased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 22,572 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 687 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,195,415,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after acquiring an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 182.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 536,059 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $462,265,000 after acquiring an additional 346,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 112.2% during the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $441,919,000 after acquiring an additional 252,453 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s May sales came in strong, with revenue up 14.5% year over year and robust comparable-sales growth, reinforcing the company’s momentum in membership-driven retail demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on COST, with TD Cowen, UBS, William Blair, and DA Davidson maintaining bullish or supportive ratings and price targets that imply upside from current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding higher-margin and traffic-driving initiatives, including exclusive products like Ghost beverages, stronger wellness/self-care sales, and faster same-day delivery and online engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s gasoline strategy is also boosting store visits, as record fuel volumes and lower-priced gas continue to draw members into warehouses and support overall traffic. Article Title

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $972.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $431.49 billion, a PE ratio of 48.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,006.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $963.93.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on COST. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global chain of membership-only warehouse clubs that sell a wide array of merchandise in bulk at discounted prices. The company’s product mix includes groceries, fresh and frozen food, household goods, electronics, apparel, and seasonal items, augmented by its prominent private-label brand, Kirkland Signature. Costco’s business model centers on annual membership fees and high-volume, low-margin sales, designed to drive repeat purchasing and strong customer loyalty among both consumers and small-business buyers.

Beyond merchandise, Costco provides a range of ancillary services that complement its warehouses, including gasoline stations, pharmacy and optical services, hearing aid centers, photo services, and travel and insurance products.