MOR Wealth Management LLC Buys Shares of 1,130 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

MOR Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,130 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $975,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Busey Bank raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,454,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Tandem Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the third quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $916,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Optima Capital LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the third quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the third quarter. Gratus Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,295,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key 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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 5,596 shares of company stock valued at $5,272,388. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $983.86 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $436.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.16, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $986.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $938.85.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were 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 of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.04%.

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.