Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Lafayette Investments Inc.

Key Points

• Lafayette Investments Inc. cut its Costco stake by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,176 shares and leaving it with 4,892 shares valued at about $4.22 million.
• Another insider move also surfaced: EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 Costco shares on March 9 for about $732,205, reducing her direct holdings by 10.66%.
• Costco continues to post strong operating results and shareholder returns, with fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue topping estimates and the company raising its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share from $1.30.

Lafayette Investments Inc. lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,892 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,176 shares during the period. Lafayette Investments Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs now owns 17,560 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $15,143,000 after buying an additional 1,064 shares during the period. Centric Wealth Management boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Centric Wealth Management now owns 4,835 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,169,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 92.4% in the 4th quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp now owns 610 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 293 shares during the period. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. ABN AMRO Bank N.V. now owns 126,761 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $108,992,000 after buying an additional 10,073 shares during the period. Finally, Osprey Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 29.7% in the 4th quarter. Osprey Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,445 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,282,000 after buying an additional 1,934 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,155.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,046.03.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $999.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $443.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $998.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $952.44. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,067.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.02 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported April comparable sales up 11.6% and net sales up 13%, with digitally enabled comps jumping 18.8%, reinforcing confidence in the company’s membership and omnichannel model. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are pointing to Costco’s e-commerce gains as a potential driver of a higher valuation, suggesting the online business could support longer-term upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is also benefiting from consumer demand for value, with higher gas prices and price-sensitive shopping helping fuel traffic and sales at warehouse clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New member-value initiatives, including added food court protein options and more digital redemption of perks, may help reinforce loyalty and keep shoppers engaged with the Costco ecosystem. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Costco shares are now above the psychologically important $1,000 mark, which may invite profit-taking or renewed debate over whether the stock is stretched after its run-up. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s short-interest update appears to show no meaningful change, so it does not seem to be a major driver of the stock today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The tariff-refund lawsuit could weigh on sentiment because it puts Costco’s member-value reputation and refund practices under legal scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also raises the “sell in May” question after the stock’s recent run, suggesting valuation and seasonality could cap near-term upside. Article Title

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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