Marietta Wealth Management LLC Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Marietta Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,527 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 560 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.5% of Marietta Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Marietta Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Hurley Capital LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during 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. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a meaningful dividend increase (quarterly to $1.47, annualized $5.88), a direct cash return that supports income-oriented holders and signals confidence in cash flow. Costco (COST) Approves Quarterly Dividend Increase Amid Robust Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management is pushing aggressive store growth — targeting ~30 new warehouses per year — which should relieve overcrowding, widen membership reach and support long-term sales/margin improvements if execution stays on track. Costco plans major growth push, targeting 30 new locations annually
• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion continues (example: a new Costco planned for northeast Edmonton), reinforcing the growth story at the store level. A new Costco location is in the works for northeast Edmonton
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s costly automation rollout failure highlights execution risk in grocery tech — a negative for Kroger but indirectly a reminder that Costco’s simpler, scale-driven model can have competitive advantages; effect on COST is ambiguous. Why Kroger’s $2.6B Automation Bet Failed
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail/consumer news (e.g., Tractor Supply’s miss) may add short-term sector noise but doesn’t directly change Costco’s fundamentals. Tractor Supply Is Today’s Worst S&P 500 Stock. Here’s Why.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: multiple analyst/press pieces argue COST looks expensive near $1,000 and suggest other S&P names with similar resilience but cheaper multiples — this commentary can prompt profit-taking and cap upside. Is Costco’s Stock Too Expensive Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Competition: BJ’s expansion into Texas increases regional competition in the warehouse club space, which could pressure market share/pricing in specific markets over time. New BJ’s locations Texas: Club rivaling Costco, Sam’s expands to Texas

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,003.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $445.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.19, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $996.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $946.64. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is an increase 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,045.97.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, 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 the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.