Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Makes New Investment in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac initiated a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter, buying 5,877 shares worth about $5.07 million.
• Costco reported mixed quarterly earnings: EPS of $4.93 slightly missed estimates, but revenue of $70.53 billion beat expectations and rose year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive with an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $1,051.18.

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 5,877 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,068,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hurley Capital LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of COST opened at $995.20 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $441.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,008.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $962.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.98 by ($0.05). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective 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. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped 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. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,051.18.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported stronger-than-expected sales, including U.S. same-store sales growth of 9.8% and adjusted comparable sales up 6.6%, showing that demand remains resilient even in a pressured consumer environment.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue came in above Wall Street expectations, with $70.53 billion in quarterly sales versus estimates of $69.68 billion, reinforcing the company’s ability to keep growing at scale.
• Positive Sentiment: Membership and gas-related traffic appear to be supporting results, with higher fuel prices bringing more shoppers into warehouses and boosting basket sizes and same-store sales.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS of $4.93 was slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.98, making the report mixed rather than uniformly strong, even though profits still improved year over year.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pre-earnings articles framed Costco as a high-quality defensive retailer with a premium valuation, suggesting investors may continue to focus on whether the stock can justify its elevated multiple.
• Negative Sentiment: The small earnings miss could temper enthusiasm in the near term, especially given the stock’s recent run-up and the market’s high expectations heading into the print.

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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