Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Kozak & Associates Inc.

Kozak & Associates Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 11.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,058 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,650 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises 2.1% of Kozak & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Kozak & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $12,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 750.0% in the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 34 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: High renewal rates reinforce Costco’s recurring-revenue model. The company’s U.S.-Canada renewal rate reached 92.2%, while executive memberships and digital customer retention continued to grow. The trends suggest Costco is maintaining strong customer loyalty despite changes in its membership mix. Costco’s Renewal Trends Point to Lasting Customer Loyalty
• Positive Sentiment: Membership initiatives appear to be addressing customer concerns. Analysts cited Costco’s value proposition, membership growth and retention as key strengths, supporting the long-term outlook for membership-fee income and customer traffic. Costco’s changes fix members’ biggest problems
• Positive Sentiment: Demographic expansion could support future membership growth. Interest from Gen Z consumers suggests Costco may be attracting younger households, potentially extending its customer base and supporting long-term renewal trends. Your Gen Z grandkid wants a Costco membership
• Neutral Sentiment: A market article included Costco among cash-generating companies worth researching, but cautioned that strong cash flow alone does not guarantee successful reinvestment or growth. 2 Cash-Producing Stocks to Research Further and 1 We Avoid
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports highlighting a popular frozen food item and broader market strength may support brand engagement and general sentiment, but they are unlikely to materially affect Costco’s earnings outlook. One of Costco’s best frozen items is secretly a delicious Raising Cane’s dupe
• Negative Sentiment: Costco agreed to a $14 million settlement related to allegedly misleading urgency-based emails. The financial charge is modest relative to Costco’s size, but the matter creates compliance and reputational risk. Costco’s $14M settlement over fake urgency emails
• Negative Sentiment: Optimistic forecasts that Costco could eventually reach a $1 trillion valuation underscore its growth potential, but also highlight investor concerns about the stock’s already elevated valuation and limited room for execution mistakes. Prediction: Costco Will Become a Trillion Dollar Company on This Date

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, May 29th. 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 report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,175.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,059.07.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $954.08 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $953.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $982.47. The stock has a market cap of $423.12 billion, a PE ratio of 47.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.87. 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 one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th 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, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

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.