Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Purchases New Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 85,043 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $84,739,000. Costco Wholesale accounts for 1.3% of Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target for the company. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,059.07.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco is set to go ex-dividend on Friday, July 24, with the payout scheduled for August 7, which may be supporting near-term interest from income-focused investors. 2 Well-Known Stocks Are Ready to Pay You Dividends – But You Must Act Before July 24
• Positive Sentiment: New articles highlighted Costco’s strong long-term performance and continued consumer demand, reinforcing the view that the retailer remains a high-quality defensive name. Verizon to Lay Off 3,000 Workers as Part of Broader Restructuring
• Neutral Sentiment: One report said Costco’s June sales growth slowed, but also noted resilient demand, digital gains, and rising estimates; the takeaway was mixed rather than clearly negative. Is Costco Stock Still a Buy After Its June Sales Update?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another article argued Costco still looks expensive after its big multi-year run, which keeps valuation concerns in focus for investors. Costco (COST) Stock Still Looks Overvalued As Its 133% Run Draws Scrutiny
• Neutral Sentiment: Several other stories were broadly informational, including dividend math, comparisons with Walmart, warehouse expansion chatter, and consumer-product placement at Costco, but they do not appear to be major stock drivers on their own. Here’s How Many Shares of Costco Stock You’d Need for $1,000 in Yearly Dividends

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 3.2%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $945.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $419.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $977.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $977.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.