Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Has $85.82 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its Costco position by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, but the fund still held 99,514 shares worth about $85.8 million, making Costco its sixth-largest holding.
• Costco reported fiscal-quarter EPS of $4.93, narrowly missing estimates, while revenue of $70.53 billion topped expectations; analysts still expect the company to post 20.38 EPS for the year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share from $1.30, and institutional ownership remains high at 68.48%.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,514 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,101 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 2.8% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $85,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Argent Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 1,506 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,299,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 76.4% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 16,329 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $14,081,000 after acquiring an additional 7,072 shares during the last quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Regency Capital Management Inc. DE now owns 14,188 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $12,235,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 7,274 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,273,000 after buying an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 143,184 shares of the retailer's stock worth $123,473,000 after buying an additional 6,054 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $972.59 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a market cap of $431.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,006.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $963.93.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 3.01%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s May sales came in strong, with revenue up 14.5% year over year and robust comparable-sales growth, reinforcing the company’s momentum in membership-driven retail demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on COST, with TD Cowen, UBS, William Blair, and DA Davidson maintaining bullish or supportive ratings and price targets that imply upside from current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding higher-margin and traffic-driving initiatives, including exclusive products like Ghost beverages, stronger wellness/self-care sales, and faster same-day delivery and online engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s gasoline strategy is also boosting store visits, as record fuel volumes and lower-priced gas continue to draw members into warehouses and support overall traffic. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,060.41.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate 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.

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.