West Family Investments Inc. Purchases Shares of 984 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

West Family Investments Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 984 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $921,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,835,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $200,372,000 after acquiring an additional 13,795 shares during the last quarter. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $9,300,000. Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd as trustee for Retail Employees Superannuation Trust acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth about $5,813,000. Finally, Hyperion Asset Management Ltd raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.0% in the second quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $64,325,000 after purchasing an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Delivery expansion could boost engagement: Costco is now offering delivery for customizable sheet cakes and party platters, improving convenience and potentially encouraging larger, higher-margin event-related purchases. Costco delivery for cakes and party platters
• Positive Sentiment: Physical expansion continues: Costco opened its first warehouse in Celina, Texas, one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities. New locations can add membership revenue and sales over time, although the financial contribution will develop gradually. Costco opens Celina store
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term investor appeal remains intact: Commentary highlights Costco’s strong competitive moat, membership economics and potential for dividend growth. Its partnership with SCAN Health Plan to offer Medicare Advantage and supplemental plans also provides a potential new customer-engagement channel. Costco Medicare partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Pricing strategy is both a strength and a challenge: Costco continues to hold its iconic rotisserie chicken at $4.99 by controlling production costs. The price reinforces customer loyalty, but inflation and supply costs could pressure margins if the company maintains the price indefinitely. Costco rotisserie chicken and inflation
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and valuation concerns are weighing on sentiment: Costco is refunding certain tariff duties while contesting a related class-action lawsuit, creating uncertainty over costs and potential liabilities. Separately, the stock’s high earnings multiple and position below its 200-day moving average leave it vulnerable to profit-taking; its latest quarterly EPS narrowly missed estimates despite a revenue beat. Costco tariff refunds and lawsuit

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $945.47 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $945.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $979.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.56, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,120.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,059.53.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.