Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,130 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,000 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 2.0% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $50,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,814,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,416,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s membership program remains a key long-term growth engine, with recurring membership revenue and renewal strength potentially supporting profitability and cash flow. Costco Has a Secret Growth Engine
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to view Costco as a durable long-term compounder; one projection suggests a $10,000 investment could grow to $13,400 over five years, although that is an opinion rather than company guidance. Costco Five-Year Investment Projection
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding its physical footprint with a new Celina, Texas, warehouse, while a delivery upgrade could improve convenience and sales of popular merchandise. Costco Celina Warehouse
• Positive Sentiment: A partnership with SCAN Health Plan to offer Medicare Advantage and supplemental plans could create an additional member-engagement and revenue opportunity, though the financial impact is not yet clear. Costco and SCAN Medicare Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: New projects in Newington, New Hampshire, involving Costco and other companies are advancing, but the report provides limited information on Costco’s direct financial benefit. Newington Projects Advance
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s premium valuation leaves little room for disappointment: the company recently reported quarterly EPS of $4.93, narrowly missing the $4.94 consensus estimate, despite revenue exceeding expectations. Its P/E ratio near 47 also increases sensitivity to weaker-than-expected results. Costco Stock Performance and Key Facts
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is refunding certain tariff duties while defending a related class-action lawsuit. Refund costs, possible liabilities, and reputational concerns may weigh on investor sentiment. Costco Tariff Refunds and Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure is increasing as JCPenney targets the same value-oriented, “treasure hunt” retail appeal, potentially challenging Costco’s customer engagement at the margin. JCPenney Targets Costco’s Retail Strategy

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,120.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,059.53.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $934.66 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $945.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $980.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $414.50 billion, a PE ratio of 47.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.87.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.58%.

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.