Provident Co of the Employees of the Hebrew University LTD Buys 601 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Provident Co of the Employees of the Hebrew University LTD boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,049 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.8% of Provident Co of the Employees of the Hebrew University LTD’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Provident Co of the Employees of the Hebrew University LTD’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Greykasell Wealth Strategies Inc. now owns 2,465 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,126,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 573 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $494,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 77.4% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,437 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,239,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patron Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Patron Partners LLC now owns 5,980 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,157,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company 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: Costco posted another strong month, with May net sales up 14.5% year over year to $24.01 billion and comparable sales still running at a healthy pace, reinforcing the view that traffic and spending trends remain solid. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to point to Costco’s defensive fundamentals, strong U.S. comparable sales, fuel-driven traffic, and growing digital business as reasons for optimism on the stock. Costco Stock (COST) Keeps Wall Street Split despite Accelerating Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s ability to hold up during the broader market sell-off underscored its reputation as a defensive retailer, which may have helped support investor interest. Why Costco Stock Held Steady During Friday’s Market Sell-Off
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Costco as a high-quality long-term compounder, but also emphasized that its premium valuation leaves less room for error if growth slows. Costco stock price shocks market despite major blowout quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s valuation remains a debate point on Wall Street, with some analysts maintaining Buy ratings and high price targets while others argue the stock already reflects much of the good news. Costco: Robust Comps and Reaccelerating Digital Sales Support Buy Rating, Price Target Reaffirmed at $1275
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note argued that Costco’s strong quarter was not enough to offset valuation worries, suggesting investors may be hesitant to pay up after the recent sales-driven rally. Costco’s Strong Quarter Still Leaves Investors with a Valuation Problem

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on COST. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $971.87 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,006.71 and a 200 day moving average of $963.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $431.00 billion, a PE ratio of 48.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.07.

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). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost 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%.

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.