Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by National Pension Service

National Pension Service lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 919,193 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 78,384 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.6% of National Pension Service’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. National Pension Service’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $792,657,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hurley Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported stronger-than-expected sales, including U.S. same-store sales growth of 9.8% and adjusted comparable sales up 6.6%, showing that demand remains resilient even in a pressured consumer environment.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue came in above Wall Street expectations, with $70.53 billion in quarterly sales versus estimates of $69.68 billion, reinforcing the company’s ability to keep growing at scale.
• Positive Sentiment: Membership and gas-related traffic appear to be supporting results, with higher fuel prices bringing more shoppers into warehouses and boosting basket sizes and same-store sales.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS of $4.93 was slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.98, making the report mixed rather than uniformly strong, even though profits still improved year over year.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pre-earnings articles framed Costco as a high-quality defensive retailer with a premium valuation, suggesting investors may continue to focus on whether the stock can justify its elevated multiple.
• Negative Sentiment: The small earnings miss could temper enthusiasm in the near term, especially given the stock’s recent run-up and the market’s high expectations heading into the print.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $995.20 on Friday. 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 $1,008.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $962.53. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market cap of $441.52 billion, a PE ratio of 51.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.98 by ($0.05). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on COST. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-one 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,051.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.