Fifth Third Bancorp Has $193.34 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp slightly trimmed its stake in Costco, selling 4,714 shares in Q4 and now owning 224,205 shares valued at $193.34 million (about 0.05% of the company).
• Costco beat quarterly estimates with $4.58 EPS and $69.6B revenue (up 9.2% YoY) and announced a higher quarterly dividend of $1.47 (up from $1.30), payable May 15.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive—MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $1,045.97, while several brokers have recently raised targets (e.g., Mizuho to $1,100), though some articles flag valuation concerns.

Fifth Third Bancorp lowered its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 224,205 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,714 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned about 0.05% of Costco Wholesale worth $193,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Graney & King LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 173 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $171,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Seneschal Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Seneschal Advisors LLC now owns 3,142 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the third quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Tandem Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the third quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer's stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Optima Capital LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the third quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group nudged its FY2027 EPS forecast slightly higher for COST, a modest analyst upgrade that supports upside to consensus earnings expectations and reinforces investor confidence. Costco Stock — MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan research highlighted Costco as roughly “60% cheaper than traditional grocery,” underscoring its pricing advantage and the widening value gap versus peers — a tailwind for share gains during price-sensitive consumer periods. Costco Is '60% Cheaper Than Traditional Grocery,' Says JPMorgan
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer and coverage of CEO Ron Vachris’s comments from the Q2 call (emphasis on being first to cut prices and last to raise them) are reinforcing the narrative of resilient comp performance and margin management. That commentary is keeping investor sentiment constructive. Jim Cramer sends a message on Costco stock
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish retail pieces (e.g., 247WallStreet’s “I Can’t Stop Buying COST Stock”) and technical traders calling COST a stock “finding its footing” add buy-side interest and momentum-chasing flows. I Can’t Stop Buying COST Stock. Here’s Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco quietly changed its long-standing $1.50 hot dog combo (format/ingredients) — a symbolic brand move that highlights operational choices but is unlikely to move near-term fundamentals materially. Costco quietly changes its $1.50 hot dog deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and comparison pieces (TipRanks / Fool coverage) reiterate Costco’s strong price competitiveness vs. WMT/AMZN but also contrast business models — useful context for positioning but not an immediate catalyst. COST vs WMT vs AMZN: ‘Costco Remains the Most Price Competitive,’ Analyst Says
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation debate: several pieces ask whether Costco’s strong YTD run leaves limited upside and whether investors are paying up for growth (articles questioning “is it too late?”), which can cap gains and encourage some profit-taking. Is It Too Late To Consider Costco Wholesale (COST) After Its Strong Year To Date Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive-framing pieces note Walmart’s evolving ad/data businesses as potential near-term upside versus Costco’s steadier membership model — a comparison that can shift some investor preference away from COST for tactical allocations. Costco vs. Walmart Stock: What's the Better Consumer Staples Buy?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,045.97.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of COST opened at $1,014.53 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $450.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $996.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $949.91. 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 (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change 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 30.58%.

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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