Capstone Capital Management Ltd Buys Shares of 885 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Capstone Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 885 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $763,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Profund Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 38,178 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,922,000 after buying an additional 2,264 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 769,624 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $663,678,000 after acquiring an additional 214,466 shares in the last quarter. Warner Group LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Warner Group LLC now owns 585 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,226,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.3% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 34,113 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,410,000 after acquiring an additional 8,127 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported strong April sales, with net sales up 13.0% year over year, comparable sales rising 11.6%, and digital sales climbing 18.8%, reinforcing its reputation as a defensive retailer benefiting from value-focused consumer spending. Costco’s April Sales Reinforce Its Case as the Ultimate Defensive Stock
• Positive Sentiment: The company boosted its quarterly dividend by 13% to $1.47 per share, a signal of confidence in cash generation that can attract income-oriented investors. Costco (COST) Surges to New 52-Week Peak Following Strong Dividend Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles framed Costco as a breakout candidate after its recent rally, with commentary pointing to strong year-to-date momentum and a new 52-week high. Prediction: The Stage is Set for a Costco Stock Breakout
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is also gaining attention for product expansion and brand strength, including a test of new chicken strips in food courts and a broader rollout of mixsoon skincare products across U.S. warehouse locations. Costco is testing chicken strips in food courts and customers say they’re ginormous
• Neutral Sentiment: One article highlighted a legal issue tied to a disability discrimination verdict, which adds some headline risk but appears smaller than the company’s sales and dividend positives. How Investors Are Reacting To Costco Wholesale (COST) Double‑Digit April Sales, Florida Expansion And Jury Verdict
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains constructive overall, with coverage describing Costco as resilient and well positioned, but these pieces mainly reinforce an already favorable narrative rather than introducing a new catalyst. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Costco, Coca-Cola, AstraZeneca and Franklin Financial Services

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on COST. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,047.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of COST opened at $1,076.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $477.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.98, a P/E/G ratio of 5.16 and a beta of 0.92. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,079.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,002.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $956.31.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 30.58%.

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.