Bleakley Financial Group LLC Buys 636 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,126 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,615,889,000 after buying an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,176,286 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,739,039,000 after buying an additional 31,045 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,499,246,000 after purchasing an additional 127,495 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,210,837 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,120,787,000 after purchasing an additional 8,259 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting Costco’s AI and digital investments as a driver of faster sales growth, especially through stronger e-commerce traffic and app personalization that could support long-term revenue gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles frame Costco as a “recession-proof” dividend stock and a long-term hold, pointing to its membership model, steady cash generation, and history of dividend increases as reasons investors continue to favor the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage suggests Wall Street expects another solid quarter, and options traders are pricing in a meaningful move around the report, which often keeps the stock active ahead of results.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer remains upbeat on Costco, reinforcing investor confidence in the retailer’s durable business model and consistent execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Holiday-related coverage about Memorial Day store hours and shopping deals is mainly informational, but it keeps Costco in the consumer spotlight heading into a busy retail period.
• Neutral Sentiment: Lifestyle stories about Costco products and shopping behavior are not likely to move the stock materially, though they underscore the company’s strong brand engagement and customer interest.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,028.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $456.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,008.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $960.97. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COST. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,192.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,052.60.

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.