Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 13.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 66,236 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,914 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $66,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472,968 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 907.1% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,539,346,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $980,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted 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 note on Friday, May 29th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,059.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s launch of Borealis Foods’ Chef Woo high-protein noodles is drawing strong early member demand, highlighting Costco’s ability to quickly scale trending, health-oriented products and support traffic in its warehouses. Borealis Foods Expands Access to Protein-Rich Chef Woo Noodles Through Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Another report says Costco will open seven new warehouse locations in August, reinforcing the company’s steady expansion strategy and long-term membership growth potential. Costco announces 7 new warehouse locations to open in August
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage with a $1,000 price target, signaling Wall Street still sees upside from current levels despite recent weakness. Costco Wholesale is now covered by Royal Bank Of Canada
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces focused on Costco’s dividend, valuation, and reputation as a defensive retailer; these are supportive of the investment case, but they do not appear to be immediate stock-moving catalysts. Here’s How Many Shares of Costco Stock You’d Need for $1,000 in Yearly Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles praised Costco’s resilience in uncertain consumer conditions and its success in international markets, but these were mainly background/analyst commentary rather than new fundamental developments. Casey’s, Costco, and Other Consumer Stocks for Uncertain Times
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted Costco’s stock has been weak recently and that investors are questioning whether the dip is a buying opportunity, which can keep sentiment cautious in the near term. Costco Stock: Buy the Dip?

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $916.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $978.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $977.29. The company has a market capitalization of $406.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale 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.