Pitcairn Co. Decreases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Pitcairn Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 22.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,256 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,796 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,791,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings 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 bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $874,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position 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. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 43.6% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,444 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,700,000 after acquiring an additional 7,116 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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: Q2 top‑ and bottom‑line beat: Costco reported $4.58 EPS vs. ~$4.51 consensus and revenue of $69.6B vs. ~$68.96B; sales rose ~9.2% YoY and comparable sales strengthened, supporting the underlying business momentum. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy and set a $1,115 price target, and the Street shows a majority of buy/outperform ratings with a median ~$1,050 target — a positive backdrop for longer‑term sentiment. BTIG Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Tariff refund messaging: CEO Ron Vachris said any tariff refunds would be passed back to members through lower prices/values — good for member goodwill but uncertain for near‑term margin or cash‑flow impact. Business Insider
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst takeaways and materials: coverage and slide deck are available (company slide deck and call), giving investors more details to assess international strength and membership trends. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and mixed prints: some outlets note shares slipped after the report and a third‑party data feed (Quiver) flagged misses versus other analyst models (slight EPS/revenue shortfalls vs. some estimates), which likely pressured sentiment. Quiver Quant
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and insider selling: Costco trades at a premium (high P/E), and recent filings/tallies show insider sales activity — both are weighty considerations for investors concerned about upside given stretched multiples. WSJ
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market/energy risks: an oil price jump tied to geopolitical risks (Strait of Hormuz concerns) is creating risk‑off pressure across retail names today, which can amplify a muted earnings reaction. Zacks

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,017.34.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total value of $1,776,913.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $982.57 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $959.15 and a 200 day moving average of $935.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market cap of $436.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.51 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.