Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stake Lessened by Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC

Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 59.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,229 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 42,258 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.2% of Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Aristotle Atlantic Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after buying an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,212,433,000 after buying an additional 107,775 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,937,286 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,395,301,000 after buying an additional 77,650 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $965.59 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,003.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $968.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $428.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced 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). 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 analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary pointed to Costco’s rising traffic, strong comparable sales, and gas-related member engagement as evidence that its value proposition continues to drive repeat visits and support growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco was included in a list of earnings-acceleration stocks, with commentary noting rising EPS growth trends that can precede stronger share performance. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: A separate article argued that Costco remains a durable long-term “buy and hold” business because of its loyal customer base and membership-driven model. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle pieces mentioned Costco shopping habits and product preferences, but these articles are not likely to materially affect the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary comparing Costco with Walmart and asking whether the stock can break $1,100 by 2027 mainly reflects valuation debate rather than a clear near-term catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One market note said Costco fell alongside other retail stocks even as lower gas prices and a broader oil-related relief theme were discussed, suggesting some short-term weakness may be driven by sector rotation rather than fundamentals. Article Title

Costco Wholesale Profile

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.