Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Burney Co.

Burney Co. trimmed its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 29.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,950 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,236 shares during the period. Burney Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Downshift Financial LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the first quarter valued at $305,000. Sage Rhino Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 1,352 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,347,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the period. Fischer Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Fischer Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,905 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,876,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 406.5% in the 1st quarter. Dumont & Blake Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PUREfi Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 95.1% in the 1st quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 755 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $753,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $947.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.20 billion, a PE ratio of 47.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $987.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $974.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. 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 was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Costco’s strong underlying business, including robust recent results, high membership renewal rates, and ongoing expansion initiatives such as digital and retail-media efforts that could support longer-term growth. Costco Wholesale (COST) Posts Strong Results, Is It Fully Priced?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage also pointed to Costco’s scale advantage and continued sales momentum, with commentary noting fiscal 2025 revenue of about $275.24 billion and a Q3 FY2026 update that suggests the company’s growth engine is still working well. Costco’s $250 Billion Expansion Strategy Keeps Delivering Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst- and investor-focused articles remained constructive on Costco’s long-term compounding ability and its potential to expand into areas like retail media, reinforcing the view that the business still has multiple growth levers. Can Costco Stock Build a Meaningful Retail Media Business?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces were largely commentary or retrospective pieces about Costco’s past returns, which may support sentiment but do not add new fundamental information for investors. If You’d Invested $10,000 in Costco 10 Years Ago, Here’s How Much You’d Have Today
• Negative Sentiment: One newly surfaced lawsuit alleges Costco sold Orgain protein supplements contaminated with heavy metals, creating a potential legal and reputational overhang even though the financial impact is still unclear. Hagens Berman: Consumer Lawsuit Against Costco Alleges Toxic Heavy Metals in Orgain Protein Supplements

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,061.45.

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.