Candriam S.C.A. Buys 2,224 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Candriam S.C.A. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 50,860 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,224 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $50,678,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 750.0% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 34 shares of the retailer's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on COST. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,061.10.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $916.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.09, a PEG ratio of 4.42 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $983.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $975.25. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report).

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.