Panagora Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 23.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 171,313 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,120 shares during the quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $147,730,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COST. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,814,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,416,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3%

COST opened at $979.45 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,004.63 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $967.91. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results 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). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. Analysts expect 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 paid a $1.47 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s record gasoline sales are supporting member traffic and loyalty, while elevated fuel prices and value-seeking shoppers may help drive in-store and ancillary spending. Costco Leans On Gasoline, E Commerce And Wellness To Deepen Member Value
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators continue to highlight Costco as a long-term growth story, pointing to accelerating comparable sales, strong cash generation, and growing credit for its digital business. Why Costco (COST) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage also notes that digitally enabled sales are outpacing the core warehouse business, reinforcing the view that Costco’s online and omnichannel strategy is becoming a more important growth engine. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Shows How Digitally Enabled Sales Are Outrunning Its Core Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles suggesting Costco could approach $1,100 by 2027 may support a bullish valuation narrative, but they are largely speculative and depend on continued execution. Can Costco Stock Break $1,100 by 2027?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite strong sales trends, some investors remain cautious about Costco’s premium valuation, and recent commentary notes that the stock has seen volatility as the market reassesses how much growth is already priced in. Costco Wholesale (COST) Stock Valuation After Strong May Sales And Growing Digital And Gas Volumes

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target 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. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two investment 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.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.