Macquarie Group Ltd. Decreases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Macquarie Group Ltd. reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 66.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93,681 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 183,236 shares during the period. Macquarie Group Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $80,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hurley Capital LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings forecasts for Costco, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary in 24/7 Wall St. emphasized Costco’s membership-fee model as a resilient source of recurring revenue that can support long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart coverage noted Costco as one of the retail names rewarding shareholders with a higher dividend, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage that Costco offers shopping without a membership in limited cases is mainly informational and not likely to materially affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Iowa court decision involving a former Costco manager appears to be a legal headline with limited direct impact on the company’s overall financial outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported rising plastic input costs may lead to higher prices for consumer goods later this year, which could add inflation pressure to Costco’s retail environment and potentially squeeze margins or demand.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $982.35 on Friday. 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a market cap of $435.65 billion, a PE ratio of 49.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,005.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $966.74.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

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.