Keudell Morrison Wealth Management Takes Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Keudell Morrison Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,757 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,515,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Costco to $1,275 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence in the company’s growth and earnings power. UBS adjusts price target on Costco Wholesale to $1,275 from $1,205, maintains buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to back Costco ahead of its fiscal Q3 report, saying the company is likely to deliver strong results despite macro pressures. Costco Expected to Deliver Strong Q3 Results Despite Macro Pressures, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Recent articles highlight continued momentum in Costco’s stock, including record highs and renewed split speculation, reflecting strong investor enthusiasm. Costco Stock Tops $1,000 as Split Speculation Builds
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is expanding its real estate footprint, with new land purchases and rezoning efforts tied to potential warehouse openings in Upstate New York and Central Georgia, which could support future growth but are unlikely to move the stock today. Costco buys $15.6 million in more Upstate NY land from Pyramid
• Neutral Sentiment: Some articles were largely consumer-interest pieces, including Costco’s new dessert, ethnic grocery selection, and the company’s membership/value proposition; these add to brand visibility but are not major stock drivers. Costco pays new members to join with rare offer
• Negative Sentiment: The main pressure point is valuation: with Costco already near record territory, some investors worry there is limited upside unless upcoming earnings clearly exceed lofty expectations. Costco Q3 Preview: Shares Are A Hold As Expectations Run High
• Negative Sentiment: Headlines about a tax dispute in Japan and broader retail competition, including Kroger’s planned price cuts, add a small amount of near-term noise and margin pressure concerns. Costco hit with 1.5 billion yen tab for undeclared consumption tax

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,192.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,052.60.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.2%

COST opened at $1,050.45 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,007.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $959.65. The firm has a market cap of $466.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.58%.

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.