ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC Has $2.27 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC increased its Costco stake by 542.1% in the first quarter, ending with 2,273 shares valued at about $2.27 million.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other large investors continuing to add to Costco positions; institutions now hold 68.48% of the company.
• Costco reported mixed recent updates: it posted quarterly EPS of $4.93, slightly below estimates, while also declaring a $1.47 quarterly dividend and receiving mostly constructive analyst ratings.

ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 542.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,273 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,919 shares during the period. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,814,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,089,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,416,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on COST shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Roth Capital lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,061.10.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $3.28 on Friday, hitting $916.25. The stock had a trading volume of 2,099,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,488,933. The stock 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The business's 50 day moving average is $983.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $975.25.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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