Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Evergreen Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Evergreen Capital Management raised its stake in Costco by 12.8% to 21,547 shares (worth about $18.58M), and several large institutions (e.g., Amundi, Fisher, CalPERS) also increased holdings, leaving institutional investors with 68.48% ownership.
• Costco raised its quarterly dividend by 13.1% to $1.47 per share (annualized $5.88), with an ex-dividend date of May 1 and payment on May 15, signaling strong cash flow and shareholder returns.
• Analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $1,045.97; shares trade near $998 with a P/E of 51.9, and recent quarter results showed EPS of $4.58 (beat) and revenue up 9.2% year-over-year.

Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,547 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 2,451 shares during the quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,581,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Amundi raised 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 valued at $2,893,697,000 after acquiring an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after acquiring an additional 34,826 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,499,246,000 after acquiring an additional 127,495 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,210,837 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,120,787,000 after acquiring an additional 8,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.3% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,160,702 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,074,381,000 after purchasing an additional 136,072 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco raised its quarterly dividend 13.1% to $1.47 per share, signaling strong free cash flow and management confidence — a shareholder-friendly move that typically supports the stock. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Digital investments are driving sales growth: digitally enabled comps rose ~22.6%, helped by personalization, app adoption and faster-checkout pilots — evidence Costco can grow higher-margin channels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management is expanding the footprint (renewed expansion plans and local demand signals), which supports long-term membership and revenue growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst boosted Costco’s price target to $1,110 and recent upgrades have lifted sentiment — incremental analyst support can underpin rallies. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco remains a top defensive consumer-staples pick in market commentary; useful for long-term holders but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Small institutional/trading activity: Baskin Financial Services sold a trivial 617 shares in the latest filing — immaterial to fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple pieces flag valuation risk — some analysts and commentators say Costco looks “priced for perfection,” limiting near-term upside and encouraging profit-taking. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and retail investment: Walmart’s large store remodel program and Target’s rebound are reminders of intensifying omnichannel competition that could pressure traffic/margins over time. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Analytical views that “compounding is already priced in” suggest investors may rotate out after recent gains, contributing to today’s weakness. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Mizuho increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $997.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $442.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.89, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.99. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $995.75 and a 200 day moving average of $945.60.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is an increase 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 is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.04%.

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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