Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST is Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its Costco stake by 1.7% in the first quarter, leaving it with 97,796 shares valued at about $97.4 million. Costco remains the firm’s 4th largest holding and makes up roughly 3.3% of its portfolio.
• Analysts remain mostly positive on Costco, with 22 Buy ratings, 12 Hold ratings, and 1 Sell rating. The consensus target price is about $1,059.07, while recent research notes mostly reiterated bullish views despite some mixed price-target changes.
• Costco’s latest results and valuation remain in focus: the company reported $4.93 EPS, slightly below estimates, while revenue came in above expectations at $70.53 billion. The stock also appears expensive to some observers after cooling comparable sales and softer international trends.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 97,796 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,718 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 3.3% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $97,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on COST. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Roth Capital lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, 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. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,059.07.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.5%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $940.87 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market cap of $417.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.33, a PEG ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.88. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $975.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $977.54.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.39 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Costco to $20.52 from $20.49, slightly above the Street consensus of $20.38, suggesting analysts still see modest earnings upside. Earnings forecast boost article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco remains a favorite dividend name, with its next ex-dividend date set for July 24, which may attract income-focused investors ahead of the payout. Dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: A profile of a longtime Costco cashier who became a millionaire highlights the company’s employee retention and compensation culture, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term fundamentals. Employee profile article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several local news items about new warehouses, gas stations, and remodels point to ongoing store expansion and reinvestment, but they are not major stock-moving catalysts by themselves.
• Negative Sentiment: MarketBeat said Costco’s June sales showed cooling comparable sales and weak international results, keeping the stock in “neutral” territory despite its premium valuation. Cooling comp sales article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional commentary from Zacks and Yahoo Finance argued Costco shares still look expensive after a strong multi-year run, reinforcing valuation concerns that can weigh on the stock. Valuation debate article

Costco Wholesale Company 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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