Martingale Asset Management L P Sells 1,213 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Martingale Asset Management L P cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,992 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,213 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.8% of Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $32,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $980,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after acquiring an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 20,936.6% during the 4th quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 970,840 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $837,194,000 after acquiring an additional 966,225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5,221.0% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 693,002 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $597,604,000 after acquiring an additional 679,978 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $982.35 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The company has a market cap of $435.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,005.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $966.74.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings forecasts for Costco, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary in 24/7 Wall St. emphasized Costco’s membership-fee model as a resilient source of recurring revenue that can support long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart coverage noted Costco as one of the retail names rewarding shareholders with a higher dividend, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage that Costco offers shopping without a membership in limited cases is mainly informational and not likely to materially affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Iowa court decision involving a former Costco manager appears to be a legal headline with limited direct impact on the company’s overall financial outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported rising plastic input costs may lead to higher prices for consumer goods later this year, which could add inflation pressure to Costco’s retail environment and potentially squeeze margins or demand.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.