Meeder Asset Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Meeder Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 39.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,438 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,560 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,429,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 10,630 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,592,000 after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,684,707 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,678,692,000 after purchasing an additional 10,551 shares during the period. Balefire LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.0% in the first quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 985 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 45,954 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $45,790,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 237.0% during the 1st quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 819 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $816,000 after buying an additional 576 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Costco to $20.52 from $20.49, slightly above the Street consensus of $20.38, suggesting analysts still see modest earnings upside. Earnings forecast boost article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco remains a favorite dividend name, with its next ex-dividend date set for July 24, which may attract income-focused investors ahead of the payout. Dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: A profile of a longtime Costco cashier who became a millionaire highlights the company’s employee retention and compensation culture, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term fundamentals. Employee profile article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several local news items about new warehouses, gas stations, and remodels point to ongoing store expansion and reinvestment, but they are not major stock-moving catalysts by themselves.
• Negative Sentiment: MarketBeat said Costco’s June sales showed cooling comparable sales and weak international results, keeping the stock in “neutral” territory despite its premium valuation. Cooling comp sales article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional commentary from Zacks and Yahoo Finance argued Costco shares still look expensive after a strong multi-year run, reinforcing valuation concerns that can weigh on the stock. Valuation debate article

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $940.87 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $975.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $978.32. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $417.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 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.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,059.07.

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.