United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Purchases 7,619 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• United Super Pty Ltd increased its Costco stake by 16.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 7,619 more shares and bringing its total holding to 53,298 shares valued at about $45.96 million.
• Costco reported mixed quarterly results: revenue beat expectations at $70.53 billion, but EPS missed slightly at $4.93 versus the $4.98 consensus.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 per share from $1.30, while analysts remain generally bullish with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $1,051.18.

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 16.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,298 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,619 shares during the quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $45,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $995.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $441.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.92. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,008.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $962.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.98 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $69.68 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported stronger-than-expected sales, including U.S. same-store sales growth of 9.8% and adjusted comparable sales up 6.6%, showing that demand remains resilient even in a pressured consumer environment.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue came in above Wall Street expectations, with $70.53 billion in quarterly sales versus estimates of $69.68 billion, reinforcing the company’s ability to keep growing at scale.
• Positive Sentiment: Membership and gas-related traffic appear to be supporting results, with higher fuel prices bringing more shoppers into warehouses and boosting basket sizes and same-store sales.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS of $4.93 was slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.98, making the report mixed rather than uniformly strong, even though profits still improved year over year.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pre-earnings articles framed Costco as a high-quality defensive retailer with a premium valuation, suggesting investors may continue to focus on whether the stock can justify its elevated multiple.
• Negative Sentiment: The small earnings miss could temper enthusiasm in the near term, especially given the stock’s recent run-up and the market’s high expectations heading into the print.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-one 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,051.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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