Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Boosted by BNP Paribas

Key Points

• BNP Paribas sharply increased its Costco stake, boosting its holdings by 1,081.4% in the fourth quarter to 4,761 shares valued at about $4.1 million. Other large institutions, including Vanguard, Geode, Norges Bank, and Amundi, also added to or initiated positions, highlighting continued institutional interest.
• Costco’s operating performance remains strong, with Q3 comparable sales up 9.8% and analysts pointing to gains in traffic, basket size, membership growth, fuel, and digital sales. However, some commentary notes that fuel and foreign exchange may have inflated the headline growth figure.
• Wall Street remains broadly constructive despite mixed stock reaction, with several firms raising price targets and 22 analysts rating the stock a Buy. The company recently reported earnings of $4.93 per share, just below estimates, and also increased its quarterly dividend to $1.47 from $1.30.

BNP Paribas grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1,081.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,761 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,358 shares during the period. BNP Paribas' holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,106,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer's stock worth $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,195,415,000. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,176,286 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,739,039,000 after purchasing an additional 31,045 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were 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. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s Q3 comparable sales rose 9.8%, with adjusted comps up 6.6% on higher traffic and bigger baskets, showing healthy underlying demand. Is Costco's 9.8% Comparable Sales Growth Stronger Than It Looks?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Jefferies said Costco’s value strategy, membership growth, fuel business, and digital operations continue to support sales momentum after a strong fiscal third quarter. Costco's value strategy, membership growth support outlook after strong quarter, says Jefferies
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reiterated a bullish view, calling Costco a “best-of-breed” retailer with strong returns on equity and a $1,000 price target. Costco Wholesale Is A 'Best-of-Breed Bison,' Analyst Explains Why
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary notes that part of the sales growth was boosted by fuel and foreign exchange, suggesting the headline comp number may overstate the core business trend. Is Costco's 9.8% Comparable Sales Growth Stronger Than It Looks?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles emphasize that despite strong revenue growth, the stock has not been able to build momentum, implying investors may already expect excellent results from Costco. Why Even 12% Revenue Growth in Q3 Wasn't Enough to Give Costco's Stock a Boost
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s stock has been falling in the wake of earnings, with investors seemingly taking profits or worrying that membership growth is slowing relative to sales momentum. Why analysts are backing Costco despite its post-earnings slump

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on COST. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,056.32.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $946.11 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $419.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.70 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 company's 50 day moving average is $1,007.23 and its 200-day moving average is $963.04.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.72%. The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.28 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.36 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.58%.

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.

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.