Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by WealthPLAN Partners LLC

Key Points

• WealthPLAN Partners LLC cut its Costco stake by 12.1% in the first quarter, selling 1,096 shares and ending with 7,976 shares worth about $7.95 million.
• Costco reported quarterly earnings of $4.93 per share, just below estimates, while revenue came in at $70.53 billion, slightly above expectations. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share from $1.30.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Costco, with 22 Buy ratings and a consensus target price of $1,061.45. However, the stock also faces a potential reputational risk from a newly surfaced lawsuit alleging contaminated protein supplements.

WealthPLAN Partners LLC decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,976 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,096 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.5% of WealthPLAN Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. WealthPLAN Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,781,000. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $15,835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $121,098,000 after purchasing an additional 27,625 shares during the last quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% during the fourth quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Finally, Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $9,300,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $947.50 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $987.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $974.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.20 billion, a PE ratio of 47.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period last year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Costco’s strong underlying business, including robust recent results, high membership renewal rates, and ongoing expansion initiatives such as digital and retail-media efforts that could support longer-term growth. Costco Wholesale (COST) Posts Strong Results, Is It Fully Priced?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage also pointed to Costco’s scale advantage and continued sales momentum, with commentary noting fiscal 2025 revenue of about $275.24 billion and a Q3 FY2026 update that suggests the company’s growth engine is still working well. Costco’s $250 Billion Expansion Strategy Keeps Delivering Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst- and investor-focused articles remained constructive on Costco’s long-term compounding ability and its potential to expand into areas like retail media, reinforcing the view that the business still has multiple growth levers. Can Costco Stock Build a Meaningful Retail Media Business?
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pieces were largely commentary or retrospective pieces about Costco’s past returns, which may support sentiment but do not add new fundamental information for investors. If You'd Invested $10,000 in Costco 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today
• Negative Sentiment: One newly surfaced lawsuit alleges Costco sold Orgain protein supplements contaminated with heavy metals, creating a potential legal and reputational overhang even though the financial impact is still unclear. Hagens Berman: Consumer Lawsuit Against Costco Alleges Toxic Heavy Metals in Orgain Protein Supplements

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Twenty-two equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,061.45.

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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