Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Has $66.86 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ trimmed its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 67,097 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,345 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $66,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after acquiring an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,212,433,000 after purchasing an additional 107,775 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised 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 research note on Wednesday, May 20th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,061.45.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock opened at $946.68 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market cap of $419.83 billion, a PE ratio of 47.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $995.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $971.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein named Costco one of its top retail picks for the rest of 2026, reinforcing the view that the company remains a long-term winner thanks to its strong membership model, resilient traffic, and steady share gains. Costco Stock (COST) Crowned Top Retail Pick for the Rest of 2026 — Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage highlighted Costco’s AI efforts, noting that the company is using artificial intelligence to improve product listings and search, with digital traffic reportedly tripling and conversion rates strengthening. Costco (COST) Is Using AI To Triple Digital Traffic And Lift Conversions
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles pointed to Costco’s durable growth drivers, including high membership renewal rates, new warehouse openings, fuel stations, and e-commerce expansion, supporting the bull case for continued earnings growth. Can Costco Stock Reach $1,000 by the End of 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco-related lifestyle and product stories, including new bakery and bagel items, may help keep customers engaged, but they are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Costco shoppers are craving a hot new bakery item: ‘Give me 30’
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi’s resumed coverage with a Neutral rating and $1,020 target suggests Costco is viewed as a strong business, but with limited upside at current levels, which can temper enthusiasm near-term. Citi Resumes Coverage of Costco (COST)
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary raised valuation and growth concerns, arguing that Costco’s premium multiple leaves less room for upside and that one of its key growth engines could be slowing, helping explain why the shares slipped despite positive headlines. Costco’s secret growth engine may be running out of gas

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.