Income Insurance Ltd Invests $1.15 Million in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Income Insurance Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,335 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,151,000. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.7% of Income Insurance Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NWM Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $456,000. Midwest Trust Co grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 76,463 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $65,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the period. Bensler LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 11,210 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,667,000 after purchasing an additional 388 shares during the period. Ebert Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,958,000. Finally, Northern Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Northern Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,176 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on COST. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,046.03.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: April net sales rose 13% and comparable sales remained strong, signaling resilient demand and solid momentum for Costco’s core business. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports April Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating after the sales update, pointing to Costco’s steady comparable sales trend despite macro uncertainty. Costco April sales top expectations despite Easter shift, macroeconomic uncertainty
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target and kept a Buy rating, adding to bullish sentiment around the stock. Deutsche Bank adjusts Costco Wholesale PT
• Positive Sentiment: Market chatter around a possible special dividend later this year may be attracting income-focused investors to COST. Is Costco Preparing Another Special Dividend This Year?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is also in the news for store expansion plans in California and Florida, which is constructive long term but not an immediate stock catalyst. Costco plots major California expansion as it announces new store openings
• Neutral Sentiment: Several lifestyle and product roundups highlight Costco’s strong brand and value perception, but these are unlikely to move the stock much on their own.
• Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit over Costco’s tariff-refund pricing strategy could create legal and margin uncertainty, though the longer-term financial impact is still unclear. Costco’s Going to Court Because It Wants to Give You Tariff Refunds

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,008.79 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $998.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $951.50. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08. 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 stock has a market cap of $447.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.46, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. 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 dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.