AMF Tjanstepension AB Purchases 9,832 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its Costco stake by 10.4% in the first quarter, adding 9,832 shares and bringing its total holding to 104,753 shares worth about $104.4 million.
• Institutional ownership remains strong, with 68.48% of Costco shares held by institutional investors, even as some hedge funds made smaller new positions in the company.
• Costco continues to attract mixed market attention: analysts are still broadly positive and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share, but investors are also watching slowing sales momentum and new legal and competitive pressures.

AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 10.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 104,753 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 9,832 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $104,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 750.0% in the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 34 shares of the retailer's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,020.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Roth Capital raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two research 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, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,061.10.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $916.25 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $983.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $976.13. The company has a market cap 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 Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Costco Wholesale Company 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.

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