Schroder Investment Management Group Lowers Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Schroder Investment Management Group lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 11.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 461,577 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 60,498 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 0.10% of Costco Wholesale worth $423,206,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after purchasing an additional 90,107 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,124,263,000 after buying an additional 150,844 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco posted a Q2 earnings beat (EPS $4.58 vs. $4.55 est.) and raised sales, reinforcing the company’s resilient sales and margins — this helped lift sentiment. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.6% After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson (and other brokers) lifted several price targets — the largest raise reported pushes the target to $1,315, signaling bullish long-term estimates from at least one shop. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target Raised to $1,315.00
• Positive Sentiment: Additional analyst target increases ($1,125 / $1,100 / $1,060 / $977 reported) add to bullish bias from some firms, supporting upside expectations. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target Raised to $1,125.00
• Positive Sentiment: Management said potential tariff refunds from a federal trade court ruling would likely be passed to members via lower prices — this could reinforce Costco’s value proposition and membership retention. Costco Tariff Refunds Could Reinforce Low Prices And Membership Value
• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion: Port St. Lucie is moving closer to landing a Costco store — continued steady store growth underpins long-term sales runway. Port St. Lucie moves closer to landing a Costco retail store
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reiterated a Neutral rating (limits immediate upside despite higher targets from other houses). Costco Wholesale’s (COST) Neutral Rating Reiterated at DA Davidson
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi maintained a Neutral rating with a $1,000 target — a sign some large brokers see limited near-term multiple expansion. Citi Maintains Neutral Rating on Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) with $1000 Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Discussion around a potential stock split and new residential/warehouse concepts are being debated by commentators — interesting for liquidity/strategy but not immediate catalysts. Costco’s $1,000 Price Tag Makes A Stock Split Hard To Ignore
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its price target to $1,088, signaling some analyst skepticism on upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Cuts Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $1,088.00
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: BJ’s and other warehouse rivals are stepping up strategies to lure shoppers, which could pressure market share or margins in certain regions. BJ’s Wholesale makes bold move to lure more shoppers

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $998.10 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $961.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $935.32. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08. The stock has a market cap of $443.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.90, a PEG ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.04%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price target for the company. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,035.35.

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.