Foundations Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,590 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,834 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported stronger-than-expected sales, including U.S. same-store sales growth of 9.8% and adjusted comparable sales up 6.6%, showing that demand remains resilient even in a pressured consumer environment.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue came in above Wall Street expectations, with $70.53 billion in quarterly sales versus estimates of $69.68 billion, reinforcing the company’s ability to keep growing at scale.
• Positive Sentiment: Membership and gas-related traffic appear to be supporting results, with higher fuel prices bringing more shoppers into warehouses and boosting basket sizes and same-store sales.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS of $4.93 was slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.98, making the report mixed rather than uniformly strong, even though profits still improved year over year.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pre-earnings articles framed Costco as a high-quality defensive retailer with a premium valuation, suggesting investors may continue to focus on whether the stock can justify its elevated multiple.
• Negative Sentiment: The small earnings miss could temper enthusiasm in the near term, especially given the stock’s recent run-up and the market’s high expectations heading into the print.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several research reports. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Twenty-one 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,051.18.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $995.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $441.52 billion, a PE ratio of 51.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.94 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,008.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $962.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.98 by ($0.05). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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