Los Angeles Capital Management LLC Sells 43,859 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 62.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,847 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 43,859 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $23,784,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,615,889,000 after buying an additional 165,349 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,919,573,000 after buying an additional 26,690 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $5,195,415,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,518,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,034,006,000 after buying an additional 170,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $971.87 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $431.00 billion, a PE ratio of 48.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,006.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $964.35.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period last year, the business earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost 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%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco posted another strong month, with May net sales up 14.5% year over year to $24.01 billion and comparable sales still running at a healthy pace, reinforcing the view that traffic and spending trends remain solid. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to point to Costco’s defensive fundamentals, strong U.S. comparable sales, fuel-driven traffic, and growing digital business as reasons for optimism on the stock. Costco Stock (COST) Keeps Wall Street Split despite Accelerating Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s ability to hold up during the broader market sell-off underscored its reputation as a defensive retailer, which may have helped support investor interest. Why Costco Stock Held Steady During Friday’s Market Sell-Off
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Costco as a high-quality long-term compounder, but also emphasized that its premium valuation leaves less room for error if growth slows. Costco stock price shocks market despite major blowout quarter
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s valuation remains a debate point on Wall Street, with some analysts maintaining Buy ratings and high price targets while others argue the stock already reflects much of the good news. Costco: Robust Comps and Reaccelerating Digital Sales Support Buy Rating, Price Target Reaffirmed at $1275
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note argued that Costco’s strong quarter was not enough to offset valuation worries, suggesting investors may be hesitant to pay up after the recent sales-driven rally. Costco’s Strong Quarter Still Leaves Investors with a Valuation Problem

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.