Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,684,707 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,551 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.3% of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,678,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Balefire LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Balefire LLC now owns 985 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $982,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 45,954 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $45,790,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 237.0% during the first quarter. Planning Alternatives Ltd. ADV now owns 819 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $816,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.2% during the first quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 5,446 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,427,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True North Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.7% in the first quarter. True North Advisors LLC now owns 10,935 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,896,000 after purchasing an additional 784 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Roth Capital increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target 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. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,059.07.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $940.87 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $975.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $978.32. The stock has a market cap of $417.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. 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 posted 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). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.