Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Purchased by Strategic Planning Group LLC

Strategic Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 25,610 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,285 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 2.8% of Strategic Planning Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Strategic Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $22,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Optima Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cascade Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,151 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,065,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Brown Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Wealth Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS now owns 655 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported April comparable sales up 11.6% and net sales up 13%, with digitally enabled comps jumping 18.8%, reinforcing confidence in the company’s membership and omnichannel model. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are pointing to Costco’s e-commerce gains as a potential driver of a higher valuation, suggesting the online business could support longer-term upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is also benefiting from consumer demand for value, with higher gas prices and price-sensitive shopping helping fuel traffic and sales at warehouse clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New member-value initiatives, including added food court protein options and more digital redemption of perks, may help reinforce loyalty and keep shoppers engaged with the Costco ecosystem. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Costco shares are now above the psychologically important $1,000 mark, which may invite profit-taking or renewed debate over whether the stock is stretched after its run-up. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s short-interest update appears to show no meaningful change, so it does not seem to be a major driver of the stock today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The tariff-refund lawsuit could weigh on sentiment because it puts Costco’s member-value reputation and refund practices under legal scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also raises the “sell in May” question after the stock’s recent run, suggesting valuation and seasonality could cap near-term upside. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Gordon Haskett lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note 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, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,046.03.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of COST stock opened at $999.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $443.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.92. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $998.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $952.44.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

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.