Costco Shares Dip as $1.58 Billion Volume Ranks 48th Highlighting High-Liquidity Growth Strategy Outperformance

On July 30, 2025, Costco (COST) fell 0.76% to $927.51, with a trading volume of $1.58 billion, ranking 48th in daily liquidity. The retailer reported a 5.8% year-over-year increase in total comparable sales for June, driven by strong U.S. demand, while excluding fuel and foreign exchange effects, growth reached 6.2%. The company plans to open 24 new warehouses before fiscal year-end and aims for 25-30 annual store additions, reflecting sustained expansion potential.

Recent institutional activity included a 1.9% stake reduction by Natixis Advisors LLC in Q1, while insiders sold shares worth $9.5 million in the past 90 days. Despite these moves, Costco maintained its 21st consecutive year of dividend growth, raising its quarterly payout to $1.30 per share in July. Analysts adjusted price targets, with Morgan Stanley upgrading to $1,225 and Loop Capital cutting to $1,110, reflecting divergent views on valuation and growth.

The strategy of buying the top 500 high-volume stocks and holding for one day generated a 166.71% return from 2022 to present, outperforming the 29.18% benchmark by 137.53% with a 31.89% CAGR. This highlights liquidity-driven short-term positioning’s effectiveness in capturing market trends, particularly in high-volume equities like Costco.