Absher Wealth Management LLC Has $25.90 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Absher Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.8% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 25,989 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 750 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for 3.0% of Absher Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Absher Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,896,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the 1st quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 6,876 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,852,000 after purchasing an additional 2,088 shares during the period. GHE LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 121.8% during the 1st quarter. GHE LLC now owns 13,601 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,552,000 after purchasing an additional 7,468 shares in the last quarter. Vantage Point Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $206,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 10.4% in the first quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 104,753 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,379,000 after purchasing an additional 9,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Triglav Investments D.O.O. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 42.1% during the first quarter. Triglav Investments D.O.O. now owns 2,700 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,690,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,061.10.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $916.25 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $983.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $976.13. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $406.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.09, a PEG ratio of 4.44 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 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 business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remained generally constructive, with multiple firms reiterating Buy/Overweight views and price targets around or above current levels, suggesting Wall Street still sees upside for Costco despite the recent pullback.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile. Costco stock overview and dividend note
• Positive Sentiment: Management also expanded its digital wallet feature, which could improve checkout speed and customer convenience. Costco makes payment change that could speed up checkout for members
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change, with reported short interest at zero shares, offering little signal for near-term trading.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are focusing on a slowdown in June sales momentum and weaker adjusted comparable-sales growth, which raises concern that Costco may be losing some near-term growth speed. Reuters article reference
• Negative Sentiment: Competition is intensifying as Walmart and Kroger cut prices, increasing pressure on Costco’s value proposition and margin outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: New headlines about a class-action lawsuit alleging Costco sold protein powder with heavy metals add legal and reputational risk. Consumers sue Costco over heavy metals in protein powder

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.