Summit Financial LLC Sells 9,773 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Summit Financial LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 34.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,417 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 9,773 shares during the quarter. Summit Financial LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $15,882,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. M1 Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. M1 Capital Management LLC now owns 685 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $591,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. United Capital Management of KS Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 93.1% in the fourth quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 13,247 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,423,000 after acquiring an additional 6,387 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,956,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the period. Gould Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 339.7% in the fourth quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 3,575 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,083,000 after acquiring an additional 2,762 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 36,326 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,325,000 after acquiring an additional 3,453 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $982.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,005.34 and a 200 day moving average of $966.74. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $435.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on COST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,060.41.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings forecasts for Costco, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary in 24/7 Wall St. emphasized Costco’s membership-fee model as a resilient source of recurring revenue that can support long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart coverage noted Costco as one of the retail names rewarding shareholders with a higher dividend, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage that Costco offers shopping without a membership in limited cases is mainly informational and not likely to materially affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Iowa court decision involving a former Costco manager appears to be a legal headline with limited direct impact on the company’s overall financial outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported rising plastic input costs may lead to higher prices for consumer goods later this year, which could add inflation pressure to Costco’s retail environment and potentially squeeze margins or demand.

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.