Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by GSA Capital Partners LLP

GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 54.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,911 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,373 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.3% of GSA Capital Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,373,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted 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 valued at $37,615,889,000 after buying an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Amundi lifted 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 valued at $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after buying an additional 34,826 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $1,499,246,000 after buying an additional 127,495 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in 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 period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,192.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,049.27.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco raised its quarterly dividend by 13% to $1.47 per share, marking 22 straight years of dividend increases and signaling confidence in cash generation. This helped push shares to new highs. Where Will Costco Stock Be In 2028?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts turned more constructive ahead of the company’s May 28 earnings report, with Oppenheimer lifting its price target to $1,160 after strong April sales and the dividend hike. Costco (COST) Stock Gains as Analysts Raise Price Targets Before Quarterly Report
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s April sales reinforced its defensive appeal, with 11.6% comparable sales growth and 18.8% digital sales growth as value-focused shoppers kept buying in bulk. Costco’s April Sales Reinforce Its Case as the Ultimate Defensive Stock
• Positive Sentiment: New food-court items, including chicken strips, are generating customer buzz and social media attention that may support traffic and membership loyalty. Forget chicken fingers, Costco quietly adds new food court item
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles discuss whether Costco should split its stock now that shares are above $1,000, but management has not announced any split. Costco’s Stock Keeps Breaking the $1,000 Threshold — Don’t Expect a Stock Split

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,094.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,004.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $957.59. The stock has a market cap of $485.50 billion, a PE ratio of 56.91, a P/E/G ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.92. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

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.