Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Copeland Capital Management LLC

Copeland Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 10,871 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 710 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,832,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Costco to $20.52 from $20.49, slightly above the Street consensus of $20.38, suggesting analysts still see modest earnings upside. Earnings forecast boost article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco remains a favorite dividend name, with its next ex-dividend date set for July 24, which may attract income-focused investors ahead of the payout. Dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: A profile of a longtime Costco cashier who became a millionaire highlights the company’s employee retention and compensation culture, but it is unlikely to materially affect near-term fundamentals. Employee profile article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several local news items about new warehouses, gas stations, and remodels point to ongoing store expansion and reinvestment, but they are not major stock-moving catalysts by themselves.
• Negative Sentiment: MarketBeat said Costco’s June sales showed cooling comparable sales and weak international results, keeping the stock in “neutral” territory despite its premium valuation. Cooling comp sales article
• Negative Sentiment: Additional commentary from Zacks and Yahoo Finance argued Costco shares still look expensive after a strong multi-year run, reinforcing valuation concerns that can weigh on the stock. Valuation debate article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Truist Financial raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,059.07.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $940.87 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $975.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $977.54. The company has a market cap of $417.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.88. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.28 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be given a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.