Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,450 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.5% of Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $874,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,640,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,444 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,700,000 after buying an additional 7,116 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.4%

COST opened at $1,010.79 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $448.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.14, a P/E/G ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $948.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $934.96.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.85%.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” and a $1,185 price target, signaling material upside from current levels and lending institutional momentum to the name.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Costco’s resilience in a K-shaped economy — pricing power, loyal executive members and margin durability — supporting the stock’s defensive growth narrative. What’s Going On With Costco Wholesale Stock Today?
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a long-term bullish piece framing Costco’s business model as attractive for buy-and-hold investors, reinforcing the stock’s appeal for portfolio allocation. Costco: A Strong Business Model For Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Merchandising and pricing moves — Costco added more national brands and cut prices on select items — which can boost traffic and member perceived value, supporting same-store fundamentals. Costco adds more big brands and lowers prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco heads into Q2 with consensus expectations for revenue growth (~+8.6%) and EPS (~+12.7%), which supports the bull case but raises the bar — strong results could be priced in given recent analyst optimism. Should You Buy Costco Stock Ahead of Q2 Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is pursuing tariff refund lawsuits (post-Supreme Court rulings) while investing in digital tools and global expansion — potential upside from refunds but also short-term cash/legal uncertainty and capex. How Investors May Respond To Costco Wholesale (COST) Tariff Refund Lawsuits And Digital Expansion Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Operational hiccup: Costco notified Hawaii members of a Yakitori fried rice recall — a localized food-safety issue that could produce modest short-term negative PR and costs. Costco notifies Hawaii members of Yakitori fried rice recall

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,014.39.

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.