Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Holdings Lessened by Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC cut its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 15.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,953 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 551 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Soundwatch Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% in the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 72.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $989.29 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $912.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $930.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $439.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.99, a P/E/G ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.85%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported robust January sales — net sales of $21.33 billion, up 9.3% year-over-year, with comps and digital growth cited in coverage; that beat expectations and is being cited as the core reason for the stock’s strength. GlobeNewswire: January Sales Blockonomi: Sales context
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised targets and kept bullish ratings — Oppenheimer to $1,100 (Outperform), Mizuho to $1,065 (Outperform), and other upbeat notes — reinforcing upside expectations. The Fly: Oppenheimer InsiderMonkey: Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Fund flows into defensive consumer staples (BofA note) are lifting shares as investors rotate out of tech, giving Costco a macro tailwind. Benzinga: BofA flows
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating with a $1,000 target — little near-term change implied by that note (small upside from current levels). Benzinga: DA Davidson
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions: coverage from Barron’s and Yahoo Finance flags that staples, including Costco, look pricey after recent multi-year share gains and a high P/E — a potential dampener if sentiment shifts. Barron’s: Staples frothy Yahoo Finance: Valuation piece
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/legal watch items: a California recall of pastries over undeclared nuts and a lawsuit challenging “no preservatives” labeling on rotisserie chicken create small near-term risk and potential PR/legal costs. KRON4: Recall Meat & Poultry: Labeling lawsuit

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday. Finally, Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,006.19.

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.