Corient Private Wealth LLC Acquires 206,982 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its Costco stake by 31.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 206,982 additional shares and bringing its total to 859,419 shares valued at about $741.4 million.
• Costco continues to draw strong institutional and analyst support, with 68.48% of shares held by institutions and several major brokerages reiterating or raising buy ratings and price targets.
• The company posted solid operating trends and a dividend increase, but investors remain focused on its premium valuation and the mixed reaction to its latest earnings, which slightly missed EPS estimates despite higher revenue.

Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 31.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 859,419 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 206,982 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.8% of Corient Private Wealth LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Corient Private Wealth LLC owned 0.19% of Costco Wholesale worth $741,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 3,194 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,754,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,041 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,760,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Group LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,906,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on COST. Bank of America raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,061.45.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s latest operating update showed strong momentum, with comparable sales up 9.8%, membership fees rising 10.7%, and digitally enabled sales jumping 21.5%, reinforcing the company’s durable growth story. Prediction: Costco Will Trade At This Price in 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to highlight Costco’s competitive advantages, loyal membership base, and ongoing technology investments to improve the shopping experience and ease customer pain points like parking. Costco tackles major frustration for members
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles frame the stock weakness as a possible buying opportunity, pointing to Costco’s resilient business model and long-term compounding potential. Why Weakness in Dividend-Paying Costco Stock Is a Strong Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Fresh media coverage around Costco products, store hours, and local development approvals is supportive of brand visibility, but these items are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Is Costco open on Juneteenth?
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains cautious because Costco’s premium valuation is being questioned amid macro uncertainty and sticky inflation, with one recent note saying growth may not fully justify the stock’s price. Should You Buy Costco Stock for the Long Haul? Here's the Honest Answer.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst disagreement is also weighing on the shares, with one report noting Costco fell after Citi and Bernstein issued conflicting views on the big-box retailer. Costco Stock (COST) Drops as Analysts Can’t Agree on the Big-Box Retailer

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $951.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $421.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,000.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $969.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 last year, the business posted $4.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

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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