Greenspring Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 198.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,318 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,542 shares during the quarter. Greenspring Advisors LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after acquiring an additional 165,349 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after buying an additional 26,690 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,195,415,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,518,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,034,006,000 after buying an additional 170,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on COST
Key Costco Wholesale News
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Costco reported robust May sales growth, with net sales up 14.5% year over year and strong comparable sales across key geographies, signaling healthy demand and execution. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive, with TD Cowen reaffirming a Buy rating and lifting its price target to $1,175, suggesting more upside if Costco keeps delivering on sales and memberships. Benzinga coverage of TD Cowen rating
- Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighted Costco’s accelerating growth drivers, including stronger digital demand, membership income, and traffic, which support the long-term bullish case for the stock. 3 Compelling Costco Growth Drivers You Might Not Know About
- Positive Sentiment: Higher gasoline prices may be driving more traffic to Costco fuel stations, helping boost store visits and supporting the warehouse club’s value proposition. Costco gets surprising lift from an everyday expense
Costco Wholesale Price Performance
Shares of COST opened at $961.83 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average is $1,006.79 and its 200-day moving average is $963.58. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The company has a market capitalization of $426.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.38, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.72%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 29.58%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.
About Costco Wholesale
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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).
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