Fiducient Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Fiducient Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 55.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 410 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 504 shares during the quarter. Fiducient Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $354,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Wealth Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS now owns 655 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Somerset Group LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,906,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 71 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’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 transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on COST shares. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,192.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Twenty-one 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,051.18.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $995.20 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $441.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.75, a PEG ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,008.28 and a 200-day moving average of $962.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 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.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given 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 payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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.

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.