Diversify Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 137.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,141 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,470 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 0.5% of Diversify Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Diversify Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $30,100,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Palisade Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 3,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,754,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 874 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 551 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,041 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,760,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of COST traded up $3.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $916.25. 2,099,105 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,488,933. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $983.66 and its 200-day moving average is $975.25.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results 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 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 analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained generally constructive, with multiple firms reiterating Buy/Overweight views and price targets around or above current levels, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside for Costco despite the recent pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile. Costco stock overview and dividend note
• Positive Sentiment: Management also expanded its digital wallet feature, which could improve checkout speed and customer convenience. Costco makes payment change that could speed up checkout for members
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change, with reported short interest at zero shares, offering little signal for near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are focusing on a slowdown in June sales momentum and weaker adjusted comparable-sales growth, which raises concern that Costco may be losing some near-term growth speed. Reuters article reference
• Negative Sentiment: Competition is intensifying as Walmart and Kroger cut prices, increasing pressure on Costco’s value proposition and margin outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New headlines about a class-action lawsuit alleging Costco sold protein powder with heavy metals add legal and reputational risk. Consumers sue Costco over heavy metals in protein powder

Costco Wholesale 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.