SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC Purchases Shares of 2,333 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC bought 2,333 shares of Costco in the fourth quarter, a position valued at about $2.0 million and representing 0.7% of its portfolio.
• Institutional interest in Costco remains strong, with several large investors increasing their stakes and institutional ownership totaling 68.48% of shares outstanding.
• Costco reported mixed quarterly results: EPS narrowly missed estimates at $4.93 versus $4.94 expected, while revenue of $70.53 billion came in slightly above consensus; the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share.

SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,333 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,012,000. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.7% of SmartHarvest Portfolios LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $5,195,415,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $980,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after acquiring an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 20,936.6% in the fourth quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 970,840 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $837,194,000 after acquiring an additional 966,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 182.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 536,059 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $462,265,000 after acquiring an additional 346,208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $975.69 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $432.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.88. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $1,005.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $966.63. 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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.

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.

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