Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD Has $7.70 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 23.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,934 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,708 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.5% of Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,781,000. World Investment Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,098,000 after purchasing an additional 27,625 shares during the period. Curtis Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 399,894 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $370,140,000 after buying an additional 5,937 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on COST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Twenty-two equities research 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $971.87 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,006.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $964.35. 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 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $431.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. 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. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 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.