10,058 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 13.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 84,054 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 10,058 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $76,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth about $6,781,946,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,362,188,000. Finally, Ascentis Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 103,637.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,500,062 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,549,616,000 after buying an additional 2,497,652 shares during the last quarter. 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: Analyst optimism: Tigress Financial raised its price target to $1,250, while CICC initiated coverage with an “outperform” rating. These actions reinforce the bullish view that Costco’s membership income, sales growth and customer loyalty can support further gains. Tigress Financial raises target for Costco Wholesale stock
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term performance and growth potential: A retrospective analysis said $1,000 invested in Costco 10 years ago would have grown to $8,018, substantially outperforming the S&P 500. Another report highlighted potential upside surprises, including continued membership growth and resilient consumer demand. Costco Turned $1,000 Into $8,018
• Positive Sentiment: Potential stock split: Costco’s CEO said a stock split is regularly discussed by the board. No split was announced, but speculation could improve accessibility for employees and smaller investors following the stock’s strong appreciation. Costco’s Last Stock Split Was in 2000
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern: Costco trades at the highest earnings multiple among several major retailers, despite having a relatively low operating margin. Its premium valuation leaves less room for disappointment if growth or membership trends slow. Are You Overpaying For Costco Stock Versus Its Rivals?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing: Kroger plans to spend $5 billion on lower prices and technology after acknowledging market-share losses to Walmart and Costco. More aggressive grocery pricing could pressure Costco’s traffic, margins or competitive advantage. Kroger Is Spending $5 Billion to Cut Prices

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. The trade was a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Capital reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $781.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,091.00 to $1,079.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,018.21 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $451.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $937.12 and its 200 day moving average is $962.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The firm had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.