RAM Investment Partners LLC Acquires 529 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

RAM Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,024 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.3% of RAM Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. RAM Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Lyell Wealth Management LP raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 29,496 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,436,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares during the period. Stirlingshire Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $266,000. CSM Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 4,156 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,581,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the period. PFC Capital Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. PFC Capital Group Inc. now owns 5,917 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,102,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $2,111,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ COST opened at $975.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $432.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,005.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $966.63. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a positive change 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 yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,125.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. 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 MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for Costco, lifting FY2026 EPS to $20.49 and FY2027 EPS to $22.61, slightly above prior forecasts and reinforcing confidence in Costco’s long-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he thinks investors should “buy some here,” adding another public bullish call on Costco and keeping the stock in focus as a defensive long-term holding.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Costco’s membership-fee model as a durable, recurring-revenue engine, which continues to appeal to investors looking for steady compounding and defensive growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s CEO is set to receive a leadership honor for advancing women in corporate governance, adding a modest ESG/governance positive for institutional investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noted that Costco allows some shopping without a membership in the U.S., a consumer-facing detail that may support traffic but is not likely to materially change fundamentals on its own. Confirmed: Costco Reveals the Only Way to Shop Without a Membership Anywhere in the United States
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is fighting a lawsuit over claims that its $5 rotisserie chicken is falsely advertised as having “no preservatives,” which creates headline risk but has not yet been shown to affect operations. Costco fires back over lawsuit tied to iconic product as shoppers claim false advertising
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary comparing Costco with Dollar Tree suggested tighter consumer budgets could increase competition on value, which may pressure pricing power at the margin if shoppers trade down.

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.