Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Eastern Bank

Eastern Bank lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 27.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,667 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,237 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $17,462,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,835,000 after buying an additional 1,560 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,098,000 after purchasing an additional 27,625 shares in the last quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,300,000. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 22,117 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,072,000 after acquiring an additional 1,496 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America boosted 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. Citigroup initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,059.07.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: High renewal rates reinforce Costco’s recurring-revenue model. The company’s U.S.-Canada renewal rate reached 92.2%, while executive memberships and digital customer retention continued to grow. The trends suggest Costco is maintaining strong customer loyalty despite changes in its membership mix. Costco’s Renewal Trends Point to Lasting Customer Loyalty
• Positive Sentiment: Membership initiatives appear to be addressing customer concerns. Analysts cited Costco’s value proposition, membership growth and retention as key strengths, supporting the long-term outlook for membership-fee income and customer traffic. Costco’s changes fix members’ biggest problems
• Positive Sentiment: Demographic expansion could support future membership growth. Interest from Gen Z consumers suggests Costco may be attracting younger households, potentially extending its customer base and supporting long-term renewal trends. Your Gen Z grandkid wants a Costco membership
• Neutral Sentiment: A market article included Costco among cash-generating companies worth researching, but cautioned that strong cash flow alone does not guarantee successful reinvestment or growth. 2 Cash-Producing Stocks to Research Further and 1 We Avoid
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports highlighting a popular frozen food item and broader market strength may support brand engagement and general sentiment, but they are unlikely to materially affect Costco’s earnings outlook. One of Costco’s best frozen items is secretly a delicious Raising Cane’s dupe
• Negative Sentiment: Costco agreed to a $14 million settlement related to allegedly misleading urgency-based emails. The financial charge is modest relative to Costco’s size, but the matter creates compliance and reputational risk. Costco’s $14M settlement over fake urgency emails
• Negative Sentiment: Optimistic forecasts that Costco could eventually reach a $1 trillion valuation underscore its growth potential, but also highlight investor concerns about the stock’s already elevated valuation and limited room for execution mistakes. Prediction: Costco Will Become a Trillion Dollar Company on This Date

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $954.08 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $953.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $982.47. The stock has a market cap of $423.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.87. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month 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.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.