Marietta Investment Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Marietta Investment Partners cut its Costco stake by 67.2% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 562 shares valued at about $485,000.
• Several other institutional investors were active in the stock, and hedge funds and other institutions now own 68.48% of Costco’s shares.
• Analysts remain bullish overall: recent reports included multiple Buy or Outperform ratings, while Costco also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share and reported May sales up 14.5% year over year.

Marietta Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 67.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 562 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,150 shares during the period. Marietta Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $485,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hurley Capital LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported robust May sales growth, with net sales up 14.5% year over year and strong comparable sales across key geographies, signaling healthy demand and execution. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive, with TD Cowen reaffirming a Buy rating and lifting its price target to $1,175, suggesting more upside if Costco keeps delivering on sales and memberships. Benzinga coverage of TD Cowen rating
• Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighted Costco’s accelerating growth drivers, including stronger digital demand, membership income, and traffic, which support the long-term bullish case for the stock. 3 Compelling Costco Growth Drivers You Might Not Know About
• Positive Sentiment: Higher gasoline prices may be driving more traffic to Costco fuel stations, helping boost store visits and supporting the warehouse club’s value proposition. Costco gets surprising lift from an everyday expense

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $961.83 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $1,006.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $963.58. 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 one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $426.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.38, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 3.01%.The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale's 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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