Ninety One North America Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) by 30.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,204 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,422 shares during the period. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,917,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,359,224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,749,362 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,488,203,000 after purchasing an additional 773,651 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,328,729 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,732,836,000 after buying an additional 143,150 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,011.00 to $955.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,087.40.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4%
COST opened at $978.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $433.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50-day moving average of $932.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $963.09. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.87 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.
Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 28.32%.
Costco Wholesale News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Major price-target increase: Tigress Financial raised its COST price target from $1,065 to $1,250 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying substantial potential upside. Costco analyst price target report
- Positive Sentiment: Strong operating momentum: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year, while digitally enabled sales increased 19%. The results support the strength of its membership model and e-commerce business. Costco September sales report
- Positive Sentiment: Defensive positioning: Higher-than-expected inflation has encouraged investors to favor retailers selling essential goods. Costco benefited from this rotation alongside Walmart and Target. Retail defensive-sector rotation
- Positive Sentiment: Dividend and expansion: Costco declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, payable November 13. Proposed new warehouses in Oakland and Merced County also point to continued long-term store expansion. Costco dividend announcement
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to expect earnings growth, with one estimate for fiscal 2027 EPS raised to $22.80. However, commentary describing COST as a portfolio-risk amplifier suggests investors remain focused on its correlation with the broader market and premium valuation. Costco market risk analysis
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation and insider selling: Costco trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving the stock vulnerable to disappointment in membership, sales or consumer spending trends. Separately, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares worth approximately $1.05 million, reducing his position by 26.23%. Costco insider sale report
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Costco Wholesale Company Profile
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.
Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.
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