Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 18.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,206 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,448 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.10.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $916.25 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $983.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $976.13. 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 Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The company has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

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.