Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Parnassus Investments LLC

Parnassus Investments LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 57.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 662,447 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 242,009 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.5% of Parnassus Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Parnassus Investments LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $571,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of COST. Hurley Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $975.69 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,005.62 and a 200-day moving average of $966.63. The firm has a market cap of $432.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.58%.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for Costco, lifting FY2026 EPS to $20.49 and FY2027 EPS to $22.61, slightly above prior forecasts and reinforcing confidence in Costco’s long-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he thinks investors should “buy some here,” adding another public bullish call on Costco and keeping the stock in focus as a defensive long-term holding.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Costco’s membership-fee model as a durable, recurring-revenue engine, which continues to appeal to investors looking for steady compounding and defensive growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s CEO is set to receive a leadership honor for advancing women in corporate governance, adding a modest ESG/governance positive for institutional investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noted that Costco allows some shopping without a membership in the U.S., a consumer-facing detail that may support traffic but is not likely to materially change fundamentals on its own. Confirmed: Costco Reveals the Only Way to Shop Without a Membership Anywhere in the United States
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is fighting a lawsuit over claims that its $5 rotisserie chicken is falsely advertised as having “no preservatives,” which creates headline risk but has not yet been shown to affect operations. Costco fires back over lawsuit tied to iconic product as shoppers claim false advertising
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary comparing Costco with Dollar Tree suggested tighter consumer budgets could increase competition on value, which may pressure pricing power at the margin if shoppers trade down.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Telsey Advisory Group raised 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 research note on Thursday, April 9th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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 research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

About Costco Wholesale

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.