Prudential PLC Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 249.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 41,568 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,667 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $35,846,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the third quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS now owns 655 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,906,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 71 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LongView Wealth Management raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. LongView Wealth Management now owns 1,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $966,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s May sales came in strong, with revenue up 14.5% year over year and robust comparable-sales growth, reinforcing the company’s momentum in membership-driven retail demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on COST, with TD Cowen, UBS, William Blair, and DA Davidson maintaining bullish or supportive ratings and price targets that imply upside from current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding higher-margin and traffic-driving initiatives, including exclusive products like Ghost beverages, stronger wellness/self-care sales, and faster same-day delivery and online engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s gasoline strategy is also boosting store visits, as record fuel volumes and lower-priced gas continue to draw members into warehouses and support overall traffic. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.1%

COST opened at $972.59 on Friday. 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 $1,096.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $431.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,006.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $963.93.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

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.