Parnassus Investments LLC Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Parnassus Investments LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 57.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 662,447 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 242,009 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.5% of Parnassus Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Parnassus Investments LLC owned 0.15% of Costco Wholesale worth $571,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the third 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 acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $975.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $432.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,005.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $966.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business 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 quarter last year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for Costco, lifting FY2026 EPS to $20.49 and FY2027 EPS to $22.61, slightly above prior forecasts and reinforcing confidence in Costco’s long-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he thinks investors should “buy some here,” adding another public bullish call on Costco and keeping the stock in focus as a defensive long-term holding.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Costco’s membership-fee model as a durable, recurring-revenue engine, which continues to appeal to investors looking for steady compounding and defensive growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s CEO is set to receive a leadership honor for advancing women in corporate governance, adding a modest ESG/governance positive for institutional investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noted that Costco allows some shopping without a membership in the U.S., a consumer-facing detail that may support traffic but is not likely to materially change fundamentals on its own. Confirmed: Costco Reveals the Only Way to Shop Without a Membership Anywhere in the United States
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is fighting a lawsuit over claims that its $5 rotisserie chicken is falsely advertised as having “no preservatives,” which creates headline risk but has not yet been shown to affect operations. Costco fires back over lawsuit tied to iconic product as shoppers claim false advertising
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary comparing Costco with Dollar Tree suggested tighter consumer budgets could increase competition on value, which may pressure pricing power at the margin if shoppers trade down.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,060.41.

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.

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.