Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,756,886 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 308,439 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.5% of UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,377,373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Polymer Capital Management HK LTD acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $1,897,000. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 103.0% during the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 20,934 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,052,000 after acquiring an additional 10,622 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 33,456 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,850,000 after acquiring an additional 2,089 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,468 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,853,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, ROI Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,753 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,548,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7%

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

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change 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 payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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 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.