Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Rothschild Investment LLC

Rothschild Investment LLC lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,208 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 578 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.0% of Rothschild Investment LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Rothschild Investment LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $18,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,416,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-one equities 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, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,051.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $995.20 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market cap of $441.52 billion, a PE ratio of 51.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,008.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $962.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.98 by ($0.05). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 30.58%.

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.