Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Bailard Inc.

Bailard Inc. trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,354 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 754 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.7% of Bailard Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $33,937,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on 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. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,046.03.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported April comparable sales up 11.6% and net sales up 13%, with digitally enabled comps jumping 18.8%, reinforcing confidence in the company’s membership and omnichannel model. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are pointing to Costco’s e-commerce gains as a potential driver of a higher valuation, suggesting the online business could support longer-term upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is also benefiting from consumer demand for value, with higher gas prices and price-sensitive shopping helping fuel traffic and sales at warehouse clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New member-value initiatives, including added food court protein options and more digital redemption of perks, may help reinforce loyalty and keep shoppers engaged with the Costco ecosystem. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Costco shares are now above the psychologically important $1,000 mark, which may invite profit-taking or renewed debate over whether the stock is stretched after its run-up. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s short-interest update appears to show no meaningful change, so it does not seem to be a major driver of the stock today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The tariff-refund lawsuit could weigh on sentiment because it puts Costco’s member-value reputation and refund practices under legal scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also raises the “sell in May” question after the stock’s recent run, suggesting valuation and seasonality could cap near-term upside. Article Title

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $999.47 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $443.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.97, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $998.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $952.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.