M3 Wealth Management LLC Takes $771,000 Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

M3 Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 894 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and kept its $1,185 price target, reinforcing the view that Costco (COST) still has upside if it delivers another solid quarter. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and options traders expect a meaningful post-earnings move, highlighting how much attention Costco is drawing heading into results. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to strong membership growth, digital gains, and AI-driven personalization as drivers of continued sales momentum for Costco. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews say Costco is well positioned for earnings, but its premium valuation may limit enthusiasm unless the company beats expectations convincingly. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A federal jury ruled against Costco in a disability discrimination case, adding a legal and compliance overhang and potential extra costs from attorneys’ fees. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted the shares are slipping ahead of earnings, reflecting investor caution and valuation concerns rather than a major operational setback. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,052.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,002.93 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $1,008.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $961.45. The company has a market capitalization of $444.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.92. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

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.