Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Trimmed by Conning Inc.

Conning Inc. decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 13.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,919 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 909 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,898,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Petix & Botte Co boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Petix & Botte Co now owns 7,984 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,955,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.4% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 97,275 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $96,928,000 after purchasing an additional 8,331 shares during the period. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth $211,000. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.6% during the first quarter. Relyea Zuckerberg Hanson LLC now owns 2,411 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,402,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlpenGlobal Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at $7,643,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Truist Financial lifted their target price 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. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price on the stock. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,061.10.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained generally constructive, with multiple firms reiterating Buy/Overweight views and price targets around or above current levels, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside for Costco despite the recent pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile. Costco stock overview and dividend note
• Positive Sentiment: Management also expanded its digital wallet feature, which could improve checkout speed and customer convenience. Costco makes payment change that could speed up checkout for members
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change, with reported short interest at zero shares, offering little signal for near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are focusing on a slowdown in June sales momentum and weaker adjusted comparable-sales growth, which raises concern that Costco may be losing some near-term growth speed. Reuters article reference
• Negative Sentiment: Competition is intensifying as Walmart and Kroger cut prices, increasing pressure on Costco’s value proposition and margin outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New headlines about a class-action lawsuit alleging Costco sold protein powder with heavy metals add legal and reputational risk. Consumers sue Costco over heavy metals in protein powder

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock opened at $916.25 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $983.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $975.25. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market cap of $406.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.88. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.28 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s 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 owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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.