Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Sells 2,101 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 99,514 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,101 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 2.8% of Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $85,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.1%

COST stock opened at $972.59 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,006.77 and a 200-day moving average of $963.93. The company has a market cap of $431.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.92, a PEG ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.72%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s May sales came in strong, with revenue up 14.5% year over year and robust comparable-sales growth, reinforcing the company’s momentum in membership-driven retail demand. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on COST, with TD Cowen, UBS, William Blair, and DA Davidson maintaining bullish or supportive ratings and price targets that imply upside from current levels. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding higher-margin and traffic-driving initiatives, including exclusive products like Ghost beverages, stronger wellness/self-care sales, and faster same-day delivery and online engagement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s gasoline strategy is also boosting store visits, as record fuel volumes and lower-priced gas continue to draw members into warehouses and support overall traffic. Article Title

Costco Wholesale 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.