Expressive Wealth LLC Buys Shares of 614 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Expressive Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 614 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $529,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after buying an additional 1,070,005 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 182.4% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 536,059 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $462,265,000 after buying an additional 346,208 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 112.2% during the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $441,919,000 after purchasing an additional 252,453 shares during the period. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth approximately $213,362,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and kept its $1,185 price target, reinforcing the view that Costco (COST) still has upside if it delivers another solid quarter. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and options traders expect a meaningful post-earnings move, highlighting how much attention Costco is drawing heading into results. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to strong membership growth, digital gains, and AI-driven personalization as drivers of continued sales momentum for Costco. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple previews say Costco is well positioned for earnings, but its premium valuation may limit enthusiasm unless the company beats expectations convincingly. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A federal jury ruled against Costco in a disability discrimination case, adding a legal and compliance overhang and potential extra costs from attorneys’ fees. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted the shares are slipping ahead of earnings, reflecting investor caution and valuation concerns rather than a major operational setback. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on COST. Oppenheimer raised their target price 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. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on 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. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,052.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,002.93 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $1,008.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $961.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $444.95 billion, a PE ratio of 52.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 30.58%.

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.