Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Lessened by Windward Capital Management Co. CA

Windward Capital Management Co. CA lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,569 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,229 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 4.5% of Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $57,405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Amundi increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after purchasing an additional 34,826 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,499,246,000 after buying an additional 127,495 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,210,837 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,120,787,000 after buying an additional 8,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 13.3% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 1,160,702 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,074,381,000 after acquiring an additional 136,072 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly cash dividend (to $1.47/share), boosting shareholder yield and signaling management confidence in cash flow and margins. Costco (COST) Approves Quarterly Dividend Increase Amid Robust Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Company guidance and rollout plans: Costco says it’s aiming to open dozens more warehouses in the coming years, which supports top-line growth and capacity expansion. Costco aims for dozens more warehouses in coming years: Here’s when the newest open
• Positive Sentiment: Local openings/new formats adding incremental revenue: recent reports cover a Costco Business Center with a fuel station in Haltom City and an upcoming Pensacola opening—both expand footprint and fuel/grocery sales opportunities. Haltom City lands Costco Business Center, fuel station in major economic win Pensacola’s Costco has an opening date. Sort of.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes Costco’s outperformance while the broader market slides—reflects defensive/quality perception but is descriptive rather than a new catalyst. Costco (COST) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and long-term investor pieces debate whether Costco is “too expensive” or a long-term buy after a pullback—these narratives can influence sentiment but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Is Costco’s Stock Too Expensive Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: TheStreet reports Sam’s Club may be gaining advantages that could lure members away from Costco, posing a risk to membership growth and margins. Sam’s Club just gave members a reason to ditch Costco
• Negative Sentiment: New rivals/expansion: BJ’s announced expansion into Texas, increasing regional competition for fuel and membership sales in some markets. New BJ’s locations Texas: Club rivaling Costco, Sam’s expands to Texas

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,014.38 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $997.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $947.11. The company has a market capitalization of $450.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.75, a PEG ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 0.99.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.04%.

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.