Marietta Investment Partners LLC Cuts Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Marietta Investment Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 67.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 562 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,150 shares during the period. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,615,889,000 after buying an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,518,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,034,006,000 after purchasing an additional 170,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $961.83 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $426.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.38, a P/E/G ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,006.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $963.58. 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 Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.72% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported robust May sales growth, with net sales up 14.5% year over year and strong comparable sales across key geographies, signaling healthy demand and execution. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained constructive, with TD Cowen reaffirming a Buy rating and lifting its price target to $1,175, suggesting more upside if Costco keeps delivering on sales and memberships. Benzinga coverage of TD Cowen rating
• Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighted Costco’s accelerating growth drivers, including stronger digital demand, membership income, and traffic, which support the long-term bullish case for the stock. 3 Compelling Costco Growth Drivers You Might Not Know About
• Positive Sentiment: Higher gasoline prices may be driving more traffic to Costco fuel stations, helping boost store visits and supporting the warehouse club’s value proposition. Costco gets surprising lift from an everyday expense

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.