Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Banco Santander S.A.

Banco Santander S.A. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 33,456 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,089 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $28,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,041 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,760,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the period. Somerset Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,906,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 18.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 71 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, LongView Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. LongView Wealth Management now owns 1,025 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $966,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings forecasts for Costco, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary in 24/7 Wall St. emphasized Costco’s membership-fee model as a resilient source of recurring revenue that can support long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart coverage noted Costco as one of the retail names rewarding shareholders with a higher dividend, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage that Costco offers shopping without a membership in limited cases is mainly informational and not likely to materially affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Iowa court decision involving a former Costco manager appears to be a legal headline with limited direct impact on the company’s overall financial outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported rising plastic input costs may lead to higher prices for consumer goods later this year, which could add inflation pressure to Costco’s retail environment and potentially squeeze margins or demand.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $982.35 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $435.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,005.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $966.74.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released 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). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

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.