M3 Wealth Management LLC Invests $771,000 in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

M3 Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 894 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Malaga Cove Capital LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,344,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 158.2% during the fourth quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 16,909 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,582,000 after acquiring an additional 10,360 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Advisors of Tampa Bay LLC now owns 1,628 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,404,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 698.3% during the fourth quarter. Arvest Bank Trust Division now owns 5,021 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,330,000 after acquiring an additional 4,392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 223.1% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,521,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,052.60.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and kept its $1,185 price target, reinforcing the view that Costco (COST) still has upside if it delivers another solid quarter. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and options traders expect a meaningful post-earnings move, highlighting how much attention Costco is drawing heading into results. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to strong membership growth, digital gains, and AI-driven personalization as drivers of continued sales momentum for Costco. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews say Costco is well positioned for earnings, but its premium valuation may limit enthusiasm unless the company beats expectations convincingly. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A federal jury ruled against Costco in a disability discrimination case, adding a legal and compliance overhang and potential extra costs from attorneys’ fees. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted the shares are slipping ahead of earnings, reflecting investor caution and valuation concerns rather than a major operational setback. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of COST opened at $1,002.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $444.95 billion, a PE ratio of 52.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,008.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $961.45. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.