B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Acquires 2,461 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its Costco stake by 8.1% in the second quarter, adding 2,461 shares to reach 32,886 shares valued at approximately $30.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.48% of Costco.
• Costco is pursuing growth through a planned 14 new warehouses in the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2026, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $1,056.03.
• Shares opened at $902.38, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.47, equivalent to a 0.7% annual yield. Risks include reported closure of its online Marketplace service and concerns about the stock’s premium valuation.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,886 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,461 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $30,764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,212,433,000 after acquiring an additional 107,775 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,488,203,000 after acquiring an additional 773,651 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer's stock worth $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Expansion supports long-term growth: Costco plans to open 14 warehouses across the United States and Canada before the end of 2026, including five in October and nine in November. New locations could increase membership, sales and recurring fee revenue. Costco set to expand with 14 new warehouses across US and Canada
• Positive Sentiment: A relocated Newport News warehouse is scheduled to open in November, providing additional capacity and potentially improving the customer experience in that market. Relocated Newport News Costco set to open in November
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Broker upgraded COST to Buy, offering supportive analyst sentiment after the stock’s recent underperformance. Costco Wholesale Raised to Buy at Freedom Broker
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights Costco’s efforts to improve shopping convenience and add seasonal merchandise, initiatives that may strengthen member loyalty and spending relative to Walmart and Amazon. Costco fixed the one thing members hated about shopping there
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data showed zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, but the reported increase was listed as “NaN,” making the figures unreliable and unlikely to provide a meaningful trading signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: A profile of a well-paid Costco meat cutter underscores the company’s wages, benefits and employee retention, but has limited direct impact on near-term financial results. Costco employee discusses wages and career choice
• Negative Sentiment: Costco reportedly shut down its online Marketplace service, raising questions about e-commerce execution and the company’s ability to compete digitally. Costco abruptly shuts down Marketplace online service
• Negative Sentiment: Residents near the planned Lee’s Summit warehouse are concerned about traffic, potentially causing permitting, construction or community-relations friction. Residents concerned Costco’s new Lee’s Summit location will cause traffic issues
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues Costco may have lost part of its competitive edge and questions whether the stock’s premium valuation is justified after recent underperformance. Cramer warns Costco may have lost its edge

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth Denman sold 885 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $902.38 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $941.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $974.99. The firm has a market cap of $400.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.86. 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 fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $1,020.00 price objective for the company. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,056.03.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

The company also provides a variety of ancillary services, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical centers, hearing-aid centers, food courts, tire centers, and travel services.

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