Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Sells 3,345 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ reduced its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 67,097 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,345 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $66,857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in 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. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,539,346,000 after buying an additional 1,607,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on COST. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.45.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $946.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $995.26 and a 200-day moving average of $971.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein named Costco one of its top retail picks for the rest of 2026, reinforcing the view that the company remains a long-term winner thanks to its strong membership model, resilient traffic, and steady share gains. Costco Stock (COST) Crowned Top Retail Pick for the Rest of 2026 — Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage highlighted Costco’s AI efforts, noting that the company is using artificial intelligence to improve product listings and search, with digital traffic reportedly tripling and conversion rates strengthening. Costco (COST) Is Using AI To Triple Digital Traffic And Lift Conversions
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles pointed to Costco’s durable growth drivers, including high membership renewal rates, new warehouse openings, fuel stations, and e-commerce expansion, supporting the bull case for continued earnings growth. Can Costco Stock Reach $1,000 by the End of 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco-related lifestyle and product stories, including new bakery and bagel items, may help keep customers engaged, but they are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Costco shoppers are craving a hot new bakery item: ‘Give me 30’
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi’s resumed coverage with a Neutral rating and $1,020 target suggests Costco is viewed as a strong business, but with limited upside at current levels, which can temper enthusiasm near-term. Citi Resumes Coverage of Costco (COST)
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary raised valuation and growth concerns, arguing that Costco’s premium multiple leaves less room for upside and that one of its key growth engines could be slowing, helping explain why the shares slipped despite positive headlines. Costco’s secret growth engine may be running out of gas

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.