Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC

Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 75,692 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,397 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 1.3% of Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $65,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Columbia Bank raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 4,195 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,618,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 5,498 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,741,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. M1 Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. M1 Capital Management LLC now owns 685 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $591,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 93.1% in the 4th quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 13,247 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,423,000 after purchasing an additional 6,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 11,545 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,956,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted 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. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings forecasts for Costco, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary in 24/7 Wall St. emphasized Costco’s membership-fee model as a resilient source of recurring revenue that can support long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart coverage noted Costco as one of the retail names rewarding shareholders with a higher dividend, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage that Costco offers shopping without a membership in limited cases is mainly informational and not likely to materially affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Iowa court decision involving a former Costco manager appears to be a legal headline with limited direct impact on the company’s overall financial outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported rising plastic input costs may lead to higher prices for consumer goods later this year, which could add inflation pressure to Costco’s retail environment and potentially squeeze margins or demand.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $982.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $435.65 billion, a PE ratio of 49.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,005.34 and its 200-day moving average is $966.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.28 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.