SlateStone Wealth LLC Reduces Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

SlateStone Wealth LLC lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,589 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 596 shares during the quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $9,994,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the third quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS now owns 655 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Group LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the third quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,906,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.3% in the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 71 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LongView Wealth Management raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. LongView Wealth Management now owns 1,025 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,060.41.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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 Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of COST stock opened at $972.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $431.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.92, a PEG ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,006.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $963.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for 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 previous year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio 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.