Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Takes Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 85,043 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $84,739,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.3% of Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after acquiring an additional 165,349 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,212,433,000 after purchasing an additional 107,775 shares during the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco is set to go ex-dividend on Friday, July 24, with the payout scheduled for August 7, which may be supporting near-term interest from income-focused investors. 2 Well-Known Stocks Are Ready to Pay You Dividends – But You Must Act Before July 24
• Positive Sentiment: New articles highlighted Costco’s strong long-term performance and continued consumer demand, reinforcing the view that the retailer remains a high-quality defensive name. Verizon to Lay Off 3,000 Workers as Part of Broader Restructuring
• Neutral Sentiment: One report said Costco’s June sales growth slowed, but also noted resilient demand, digital gains, and rising estimates; the takeaway was mixed rather than clearly negative. Is Costco Stock Still a Buy After Its June Sales Update?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article argued Costco still looks expensive after its big multi-year run, which keeps valuation concerns in focus for investors. Costco (COST) Stock Still Looks Overvalued As Its 133% Run Draws Scrutiny
• Neutral Sentiment: Several other stories were broadly informational, including dividend math, comparisons with Walmart, warehouse expansion chatter, and consumer-product placement at Costco, but they do not appear to be major stock drivers on their own. Here’s How Many Shares of Costco Stock You’d Need for $1,000 in Yearly Dividends

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Roth Capital lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,059.07.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $945.57 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $977.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $977.80. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $419.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.56, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Costco Wholesale 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.