Meitav Investment House Ltd. Sells 21,533 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Meitav Investment House Ltd. cut its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 46.9% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 24,413 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 21,533 shares during the period. Meitav Investment House Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $24,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after acquiring an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,539,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST traded up $2.90 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $953.15. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 614,648 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,230,827. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $990.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $973.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $422.70 billion, a PE ratio of 47.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective 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. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Roth Capital upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,061.45.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street analysts are described as increasingly optimistic on Costco, which can support the stock by reinforcing the market’s view that the company still deserves a premium valuation. Is Costco (COST) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlight Costco as a durable long-term compounder and a resilient business, suggesting investors continue to favor its defensive model and steady membership-driven cash flow. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Benefits from Investors’ Focus on Resilient Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s move to build a retail media business with Google Commerce Media and YouTube could open a new high-margin revenue stream, which investors may view as a meaningful growth lever. Can Costco Stock Build a Meaningful Retail Media Business?
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage suggesting Costco is benefiting from investor preference for resilient consumer businesses may help the stock if the market remains focused on defensive retail names amid economic uncertainty. Is Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) a Durable Long-Term Compounder?
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple stories comparing Costco with Walmart and other retail peers keep the stock in focus, but these pieces are more discussion-oriented than company-specific catalysts. Costco vs Walmart: What’s the Better Retail Stock to Buy Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles about Costco’s famous hot dog, food-court franks, and milk are largely consumer-interest pieces and are unlikely to materially affect the stock. Are Costco’s famous food court franks available for bulk purchase?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary argues Costco’s valuation leaves limited upside versus cheaper alternatives, which could weigh on sentiment if investors become more valuation-sensitive. When I Try to Imagine the Best Investment Opportunity for the Next 10 Years, Costco Stock Just Doesn’t Make the Cut. That’s Why I Keep Coming Back to This 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.