Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Has $181.87 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its Costco stake by 59.5% in the first quarter, buying 68,110 more shares and bringing its total to 182,526 shares worth about $181.9 million.
• Institutional ownership in Costco remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 68.48% of the company’s stock. Several other investors also boosted their positions during the quarter.
• Costco continues to draw attention from analysts and insiders: a director recently sold shares, while Wall Street maintains a Moderate Buy consensus with a price target of about $1,061.45, though some commentary notes valuation concerns and mixed near-term momentum.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 59.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 182,526 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 68,110 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.0% of Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $181,874,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New World Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 94.3% during the first quarter. New World Advisors LLC now owns 511 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $509,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 158.4% during the first quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,598 shares of the retailer's stock worth $15,543,000 after acquiring an additional 9,562 shares in the last quarter. Platform Technology Partners increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.6% during the first quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 3,816 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,803,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,556 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 10,523 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $10,486,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale 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 directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding its footprint with several new warehouse openings and planned locations across the U.S., which could support membership growth and future revenue. Costco to Open New Stores Across the U.S.: Full List of Locations
• Positive Sentiment: New store approvals in California and other regions suggest Costco’s growth runway remains intact, even if some local residents are pushing back. New Costco approved in California, but some locals say location is 'unnecessary'
• Positive Sentiment: Costco began alcohol sales at a Pennsylvania store, another example of incremental in-store offerings that can increase traffic and basket size. Costco Wholesale begins alcohol sales at Pennsylvania store
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles on a possible special dividend and a potential stock split are mostly speculative; they may interest shareholders, but they do not appear to be the main near-term driver of the stock. Will Costco Pay a Special Dividend in 2026? Here's What History Says.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to debate Costco’s valuation, noting strong long-term returns but also that the stock looks expensive on earnings, which can cap upside. Costco (COST) Stock Looks Strong On Returns But Expensive On Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: One recent analysis said Costco’s growth engine may be losing momentum as lower fuel prices could reduce a key traffic driver and create execution risk for the stock. Costco’s secret growth engine may be running out of gas
• Negative Sentiment: Another report highlighted that Costco has underperformed the broader market over the past three months, reflecting investor concern about its premium valuation. Why Costco Stock (COST) Underperformed the S&P 500 Over the Past 3 Months

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,061.45.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $951.67 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $990.38 and a 200 day moving average of $972.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $422.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.87, a PEG ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company 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 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change 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 is currently 29.58%.

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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