Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 9,486 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its Costco stake by 7.6%, selling 9,486 shares and now holds 115,778 shares worth about $99.84 million (≈0.8% of its portfolio, the fund's 27th-largest position).
• Costco beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $4.58 (vs. $4.55 est.) and revenue of $69.6 billion, up 9.2% year-over-year, and analysts forecast roughly 20.31 EPS for the current year.
• The board raised the quarterly dividend to $1.47 (annualized $5.88), payable May 15 with an ex-dividend date of May 1, implying a yield of about 0.6%.

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 115,778 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 9,486 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.8% of Boston Trust Walden Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $99,840,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $874,000. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,781,000. Curtis Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 399,894 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $370,140,000 after purchasing an additional 5,937 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $1,003.70 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,067.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $445.29 billion, a PE ratio of 52.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $996.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $946.64.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. Costco Wholesale's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 27.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "sell" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,045.97.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a meaningful dividend increase (quarterly to $1.47, annualized $5.88), a direct cash return that supports income-oriented holders and signals confidence in cash flow. Costco (COST) Approves Quarterly Dividend Increase Amid Robust Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management is pushing aggressive store growth — targeting ~30 new warehouses per year — which should relieve overcrowding, widen membership reach and support long-term sales/margin improvements if execution stays on track. Costco plans major growth push, targeting 30 new locations annually
• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion continues (example: a new Costco planned for northeast Edmonton), reinforcing the growth story at the store level. A new Costco location is in the works for northeast Edmonton
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s costly automation rollout failure highlights execution risk in grocery tech — a negative for Kroger but indirectly a reminder that Costco’s simpler, scale-driven model can have competitive advantages; effect on COST is ambiguous. Why Kroger’s $2.6B Automation Bet Failed
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail/consumer news (e.g., Tractor Supply’s miss) may add short-term sector noise but doesn't directly change Costco’s fundamentals. Tractor Supply Is Today’s Worst S&P 500 Stock. Here’s Why.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: multiple analyst/press pieces argue COST looks expensive near $1,000 and suggest other S&P names with similar resilience but cheaper multiples — this commentary can prompt profit-taking and cap upside. Is Costco's Stock Too Expensive Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Competition: BJ’s expansion into Texas increases regional competition in the warehouse club space, which could pressure market share/pricing in specific markets over time. New BJ's locations Texas: Club rivaling Costco, Sam's expands to Texas

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.