LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Acquires 5,243 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 694.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,998 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,243 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the first quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 8,519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,489,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. United Bank raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.2% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 6,020 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,999,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 542.1% during the first quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,273 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,265,000 after purchasing an additional 1,919 shares during the period. Financial Alternatives Inc grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.7% during the first quarter. Financial Alternatives Inc now owns 501 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $499,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 137.9% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,141 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,100,000 after buying an additional 17,470 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.10.

Insider Activity

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

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 Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $916.25 on Monday. 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 Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.09, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $983.66 and a 200-day moving average of $976.13.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Costco Wholesale Company 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.