Auto Owners Insurance Co Buys 348,843 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 86,134.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 349,248 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 348,843 shares during the quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $30,117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,814,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,416,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. 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: Costco’s latest operating update showed strong momentum, with comparable sales up 9.8%, membership fees rising 10.7%, and digitally enabled sales jumping 21.5%, reinforcing the company’s durable growth story. Prediction: Costco Will Trade At This Price in 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to highlight Costco’s competitive advantages, loyal membership base, and ongoing technology investments to improve the shopping experience and ease customer pain points like parking. Costco tackles major frustration for members
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles frame the stock weakness as a possible buying opportunity, pointing to Costco’s resilient business model and long-term compounding potential. Why Weakness in Dividend-Paying Costco Stock Is a Strong Buying Opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Fresh media coverage around Costco products, store hours, and local development approvals is supportive of brand visibility, but these items are unlikely to materially move the stock on their own. Is Costco open on Juneteenth?
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment remains cautious because Costco’s premium valuation is being questioned amid macro uncertainty and sticky inflation, with one recent note saying growth may not fully justify the stock’s price. Should You Buy Costco Stock for the Long Haul? Here’s the Honest Answer.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst disagreement is also weighing on the shares, with one report noting Costco fell after Citi and Bernstein issued conflicting views on the big-box retailer. Costco Stock (COST) Drops as Analysts Can’t Agree on the Big-Box Retailer

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $951.45 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $421.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.86, a PEG ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,000.19 and its 200 day moving average is $969.01. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last posted 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). The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.During the same period last year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,061.45.

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.