Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD Acquires 1,708 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,934 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,708 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.5% of Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,704,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. IMA Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 280 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. CNB Bank grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. CNB Bank now owns 3,062 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,640,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $192,000. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 49.5% during the 4th quarter. Investors Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych Spolka Akcyjna now owns 1,740 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SouthState Bank Corp boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. SouthState Bank Corp now owns 25,890 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,326,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco posted another strong month, with May net sales up 14.5% year over year to $24.01 billion and comparable sales still running at a healthy pace, reinforcing the view that traffic and spending trends remain solid. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to point to Costco’s defensive fundamentals, strong U.S. comparable sales, fuel-driven traffic, and growing digital business as reasons for optimism on the stock. Costco Stock (COST) Keeps Wall Street Split despite Accelerating Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s ability to hold up during the broader market sell-off underscored its reputation as a defensive retailer, which may have helped support investor interest. Why Costco Stock Held Steady During Friday’s Market Sell-Off
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Costco as a high-quality long-term compounder, but also emphasized that its premium valuation leaves less room for error if growth slows. Costco stock price shocks market despite major blowout quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s valuation remains a debate point on Wall Street, with some analysts maintaining Buy ratings and high price targets while others argue the stock already reflects much of the good news. Costco: Robust Comps and Reaccelerating Digital Sales Support Buy Rating, Price Target Reaffirmed at $1275
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note argued that Costco’s strong quarter was not enough to offset valuation worries, suggesting investors may be hesitant to pay up after the recent sales-driven rally. Costco’s Strong Quarter Still Leaves Investors with a Valuation Problem

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on COST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $971.87 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $1,006.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $964.35. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $431.00 billion, a PE ratio of 48.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.