Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Grows Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,447 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,141,062,000 after buying an additional 90,107 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after acquiring an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after acquiring an additional 34,826 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,499,246,000 after acquiring an additional 127,495 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, signaling stronger-than-expected profit outlook that supports higher valuation multiples for COST. Erste Group EPS Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is rolling out standalone gas stations — a potential traffic driver and membership-value play that could boost ancillary revenue and stickiness of memberships. Costco Is Launching Standalone Gas Stations
• Positive Sentiment: Costco opened its 11th Canadian Business Centre (Winnipeg), expanding B2B footprint, creating local jobs and increasing wholesale penetration in a new province. Canada’s Eleventh Costco Business Centre
• Positive Sentiment: New Kirkland energy drink rollout is drawing customer enthusiasm and could pressure branded competitors while reinforcing Costco’s private-label margin advantages. Kirkland Energy Drink Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsements and favorable press (Charlie Munger praise, coverage highlighting membership loyalty) help sentiment and investor confidence in Costco’s durable model. Charlie Munger on Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Costco to Walmart and Amazon frames Costco as a defensive, membership-driven retailer but highlights intensifying omnichannel and ad-revenue competition from peers. Walmart or Costco: Who’s Winning?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor write-ups (Fool, MarketBeat) continue to list Costco as a top consumer-staples holding — supportive for long-term flows but not a catalyst for immediate re-rating. The 2 Best Consumer Staples Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and media flag concerns about membership-growth trends and rich valuation — a key risk that could cap upside if membership or comparable-sales momentum slows. Analyst Concerns on Membership Growth

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $983.86 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $436.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.16, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $986.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $938.85.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Gordon Haskett upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,115.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 5,596 shares of company stock worth $5,272,388 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.