SageGuard Financial Group LLC Sells 1,213 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• SageGuard Financial Group reduced its Costco stake by 7.9%, selling 1,213 shares and retaining 14,133 shares valued at $13.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.48% of Costco.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with 22 Buy, 11 Hold and one Sell rating and an average price target of $1,059.53.
• Costco’s latest quarter exceeded revenue expectations but narrowly missed EPS estimates; shares trade at a premium valuation of about 48 times earnings, presenting a risk if results disappoint.

SageGuard Financial Group LLC trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 7.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,133 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,213 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.9% of SageGuard Financial Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. SageGuard Financial Group LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,212,433,000 after purchasing an additional 107,775 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer's stock worth $7,488,203,000 after purchasing an additional 773,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco outperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting continued investor interest in its membership-based warehouse model and ability to attract value-conscious consumers. Costco Outpaces Stock Market Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain moderately optimistic about Costco’s long-term prospects, while separate retail coverage identified Costco as one of several chains positioned for a potential earnings beat because of resilient demand, value offerings and digital growth. Wall Street Analysts on Costco Retail Stocks Poised for an Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding its assortment and customer appeal: BrightFarms’ locally grown salad greens are entering Atlanta-area warehouses, a reusable tote set is rolling out in West Coast stores and online, and Kirkland Signature chocolate chips have returned after a two-year absence. These launches may support traffic, customer loyalty and private-label engagement, although their direct financial impact is likely modest. BrightFarms Salad Greens at Costco Costco Reusable Tote Launch Kirkland Chocolate Chips Return
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for seven new Costco locations in 2026 reinforce the company’s unit-growth strategy, but the stores will require time and investment before contributing materially to earnings. New Costco Locations in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s premium valuation remains a risk for investors: the shares trade at a high earnings multiple, leaving less room for disappointment despite the favorable outlook. The latest reported quarter also narrowly missed the consensus EPS estimate, although revenue exceeded expectations.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on COST shares. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $1,120.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,059.53.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm'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 value 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 trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $961.85 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $949.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $981.44. The company has a market cap of $426.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.87. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. 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 previous year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 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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