Qtron Investments LLC Sells 522 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Qtron Investments LLC cut its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,292 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 522 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.6% of Qtron Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Qtron Investments LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Graney & King LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 173 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $171,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Seneschal Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the second quarter. Seneschal Advisors LLC now owns 3,142 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,110,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Somerset Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the third quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,906,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. PCG Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.1% in the third quarter. PCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 536 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% in the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank raised their earnings estimates for Costco, lifting FY2026 EPS to $20.49 and FY2027 EPS to $22.61, slightly above prior forecasts and reinforcing confidence in Costco’s long-term earnings power.
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he thinks investors should “buy some here,” adding another public bullish call on Costco and keeping the stock in focus as a defensive long-term holding.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Costco’s membership-fee model as a durable, recurring-revenue engine, which continues to appeal to investors looking for steady compounding and defensive growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s CEO is set to receive a leadership honor for advancing women in corporate governance, adding a modest ESG/governance positive for institutional investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles noted that Costco allows some shopping without a membership in the U.S., a consumer-facing detail that may support traffic but is not likely to materially change fundamentals on its own. Confirmed: Costco Reveals the Only Way to Shop Without a Membership Anywhere in the United States
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is fighting a lawsuit over claims that its $5 rotisserie chicken is falsely advertised as having “no preservatives,” which creates headline risk but has not yet been shown to affect operations. Costco fires back over lawsuit tied to iconic product as shoppers claim false advertising
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary comparing Costco with Dollar Tree suggested tighter consumer budgets could increase competition on value, which may pressure pricing power at the margin if shoppers trade down.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Roth Mkm upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 4th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $975.69 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,005.62 and its 200 day moving average is $966.63. The firm has a market cap of $432.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.08, a PEG ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its 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). The business had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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