1,360 Shares in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Acquired by Worthington Financial Partners LLC

Worthington Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,360 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,212,433,000 after purchasing an additional 107,775 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $5,195,415,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on COST. Bank of America lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of 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. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,061.45.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s latest operating update showed strong momentum, with comparable sales up 9.8%, membership fees rising 10.7%, and digitally enabled sales jumping 21.5%, reinforcing the company’s durable growth story. Prediction: Costco Will Trade At This Price in 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to highlight Costco’s competitive advantages, loyal membership base, and ongoing technology investments to improve the shopping experience and ease customer pain points like parking. Costco tackles major frustration for members
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles frame the stock weakness as a possible buying opportunity, pointing to Costco’s resilient business model and long-term compounding potential. Why Weakness in Dividend-Paying Costco Stock Is a Strong Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Fresh media coverage around Costco products, store hours, and local development approvals is supportive of brand visibility, but these items are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Is Costco open on Juneteenth?
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains cautious because Costco’s premium valuation is being questioned amid macro uncertainty and sticky inflation, with one recent note saying growth may not fully justify the stock’s price. Should You Buy Costco Stock for the Long Haul? Here’s the Honest Answer.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst disagreement is also weighing on the shares, with one report noting Costco fell after Citi and Bernstein issued conflicting views on the big-box retailer. Costco Stock (COST) Drops as Analysts Can’t Agree on the Big-Box Retailer

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $951.45 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,000.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $969.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $421.95 billion, a PE ratio of 47.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (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 return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company 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. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 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.