Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stake Lowered by WealthPLAN Partners LLC

WealthPLAN Partners LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 7,976 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,096 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.5% of WealthPLAN Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. WealthPLAN Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 value of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group raised their price target 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. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,061.45.

Trending Headlines about 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

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $947.50 on Wednesday. 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 cap of $420.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $987.83 and its 200-day moving average is $974.59.

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 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio 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.