Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Holdings Lifted by Ascent Wealth Partners LLC

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 54.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,356 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,880 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,337,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.5% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,098,000 after buying an additional 27,625 shares during the period. Curtis Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,911,000 after buying an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $9,300,000. Finally, Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 22,117 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,072,000 after buying an additional 1,496 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COST. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 target price on the stock. Roth Capital upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,059.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the 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 transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5%

COST opened at $940.87 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $417.26 billion, a PE ratio of 47.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $975.73 and a 200-day moving average of $977.54.

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). 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 the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

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.