Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 14.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,639 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 973 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.8% of Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Etesian Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,539,346,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.6%

NASDAQ COST opened at $946.68 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $995.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $971.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.83 billion, a PE ratio of 47.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. 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. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein named Costco one of its top retail picks for the rest of 2026, reinforcing the view that the company remains a long-term winner thanks to its strong membership model, resilient traffic, and steady share gains. Costco Stock (COST) Crowned Top Retail Pick for the Rest of 2026 — Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage highlighted Costco’s AI efforts, noting that the company is using artificial intelligence to improve product listings and search, with digital traffic reportedly tripling and conversion rates strengthening. Costco (COST) Is Using AI To Triple Digital Traffic And Lift Conversions
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles pointed to Costco’s durable growth drivers, including high membership renewal rates, new warehouse openings, fuel stations, and e-commerce expansion, supporting the bull case for continued earnings growth. Can Costco Stock Reach $1,000 by the End of 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco-related lifestyle and product stories, including new bakery and bagel items, may help keep customers engaged, but they are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Costco shoppers are craving a hot new bakery item: ‘Give me 30’
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi’s resumed coverage with a Neutral rating and $1,020 target suggests Costco is viewed as a strong business, but with limited upside at current levels, which can temper enthusiasm near-term. Citi Resumes Coverage of Costco (COST)
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary raised valuation and growth concerns, arguing that Costco’s premium multiple leaves less room for upside and that one of its key growth engines could be slowing, helping explain why the shares slipped despite positive headlines. Costco’s secret growth engine may be running out of gas

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,125.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-two 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.45.

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.