Fifth Third Bancorp Purchases 113,780 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its Costco stake by 50.7% in Q1, buying 113,780 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 337,985 shares worth about $336.8 million.
• Other institutional investors also increased positions, and overall institutional ownership stands at 68.48% of Costco’s stock.
• Costco’s recent updates were mixed: analysts remain generally bullish and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, but investors are also watching for slowing sales momentum, intensifying competition, and a new lawsuit over protein powder claims.

Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 50.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 337,985 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 113,780 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp owned 0.08% of Costco Wholesale worth $336,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rossmore Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Rossmore Private Capital now owns 7,667 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,640,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Sachetta LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 253.5% during the 1st quarter. Sachetta LLC now owns 449 shares of the retailer's stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 2,917 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,906,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. TSA Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at about $289,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 46.4% in the 1st quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,183 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,180,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained generally constructive, with multiple firms reiterating Buy/Overweight views and price targets around or above current levels, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside for Costco despite the recent pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile. Costco stock overview and dividend note
• Positive Sentiment: Management also expanded its digital wallet feature, which could improve checkout speed and customer convenience. Costco makes payment change that could speed up checkout for members
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change, with reported short interest at zero shares, offering little signal for near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are focusing on a slowdown in June sales momentum and weaker adjusted comparable-sales growth, which raises concern that Costco may be losing some near-term growth speed. Reuters article reference
• Negative Sentiment: Competition is intensifying as Walmart and Kroger cut prices, increasing pressure on Costco’s value proposition and margin outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New headlines about a class-action lawsuit alleging Costco sold protein powder with heavy metals add legal and reputational risk. Consumers sue Costco over heavy metals in protein powder

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST traded up $3.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $916.25. The company had a trading volume of 2,099,105 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,488,933. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $983.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $975.25. The company has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a PE ratio of 46.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.44 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 Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 company posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Truist Financial increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,061.10.

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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