Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Increases Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its Costco stake by 18.7% in the first quarter, adding 1,448 shares to bring its total to 9,206 shares worth about $9.24 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 68.48% of Costco’s shares, and several other funds also increased their positions during the quarter.
• Costco reported mixed quarterly results: revenue topped expectations at $70.53 billion, but earnings per share of $4.93 missed estimates by one cent; the company also declared a $1.47 quarterly dividend.

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 18.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,206 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,448 shares during the quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the first quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 6,876 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,852,000 after purchasing an additional 2,088 shares during the period. GHE LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 121.8% in the first quarter. GHE LLC now owns 13,601 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $13,552,000 after buying an additional 7,468 shares in the last quarter. Vantage Point Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter worth approximately $206,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 104,753 shares of the retailer's stock worth $104,379,000 after buying an additional 9,832 shares during the period. Finally, Triglav Investments D.O.O. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.1% during the 1st quarter. Triglav Investments D.O.O. now owns 2,700 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,690,000 after buying an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $916.25 on Monday. 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 one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.09, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $983.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $976.13.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid 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 (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Roth Capital increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,061.10.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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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