Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $123.47 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its Costco stake by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 143,184 shares worth about $123.5 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish on Costco, with multiple analysts raising or reaffirming positive ratings and a consensus price target of $1,060.41, despite the stock already trading near the upper end of its range.
• Costco continues to show solid operating momentum: May sales rose 14.5% year over year, and the company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,184 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,054 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $123,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s May sales came in strong, with revenue up 14.5% year over year and robust comparable-sales growth, reinforcing the company’s momentum in membership-driven retail demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on COST, with TD Cowen, UBS, William Blair, and DA Davidson maintaining bullish or supportive ratings and price targets that imply upside from current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding higher-margin and traffic-driving initiatives, including exclusive products like Ghost beverages, stronger wellness/self-care sales, and faster same-day delivery and online engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s gasoline strategy is also boosting store visits, as record fuel volumes and lower-priced gas continue to draw members into warehouses and support overall traffic. Article Title

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of COST stock opened at $972.59 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $431.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.92, a PEG ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,006.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $963.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. Research 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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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