Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 230.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,052 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,614 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,532,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $605,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 3,194 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,754,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Effects LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 874 shares of the retailer's stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 551 shares of the retailer's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First National Bank of Hutchinson raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 1,098 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,094,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.
Key Costco Wholesale News
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Delivery expansion could boost engagement: Costco is now offering delivery for customizable sheet cakes and party platters, improving convenience and potentially encouraging larger, higher-margin event-related purchases. Costco delivery for cakes and party platters
- Positive Sentiment: Physical expansion continues: Costco opened its first warehouse in Celina, Texas, one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. New locations can add membership revenue and sales over time, although the financial contribution will develop gradually. Costco opens Celina store
- Positive Sentiment: Long-term investor appeal remains intact: Commentary highlights Costco’s strong competitive moat, membership economics and potential for dividend growth. Its partnership with SCAN Health Plan to offer Medicare Advantage and supplemental plans also provides a potential new customer-engagement channel. Costco Medicare partnership
- Neutral Sentiment: Pricing strategy is both a strength and a challenge: Costco continues to hold its iconic rotisserie chicken at $4.99 by controlling production costs. The price reinforces customer loyalty, but inflation and supply costs could pressure margins if the company maintains the price indefinitely. Costco rotisserie chicken and inflation
- Negative Sentiment: Legal and valuation concerns are weighing on sentiment: Costco is refunding certain tariff duties while contesting a related class-action lawsuit, creating uncertainty over costs and potential liabilities. Separately, the stock’s high earnings multiple and position below its 200-day moving average leave it vulnerable to profit-taking; its latest quarterly EPS narrowly missed estimates despite a revenue beat. Costco tariff refunds and lawsuit
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,059.53.
View Our Latest Research Report on COST
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.2%
COST opened at $945.47 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $945.80 and a 200-day moving average of $979.92. The company has a market capitalization of $419.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.87. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 EPS for the current year.
Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were given a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.58%.
Costco Wholesale Profile
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding COST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report).
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
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