Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA Increases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 670.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,717 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,494 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 4.1% of Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of COST. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Burk Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 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: Strong September sales: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year. Companywide comparable sales increased 11.4%, while comparable sales excluding gasoline and foreign-exchange effects rose 7.6%. U.S. comparable sales increased 12.5%, supported by higher traffic and transaction growth. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports September Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Digital and membership momentum: Online sales reportedly grew 19%, reinforcing Costco’s retail momentum. Coverage also points to the company’s popular merchandise and new offerings as potential drivers of membership sign-ups and customer engagement. Costco’s September Sales Rise 13% on Strong Comps, Digital Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its “sector perform” rating but set a $1,000 price target, implying moderate upside from recent trading levels. UBS also characterized September trends as accelerating. Royal Bank of Canada rating update Costco September Sales Point to Accelerating Trends
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain measured: DA Davidson maintained a “hold” rating following a warehouse-club tour, suggesting that strong traffic is already balanced against valuation and margin concerns. DA Davidson Costco warehouse tour
• Negative Sentiment: Growth quality and valuation risks: Analysts caution that part of September’s comparable-sales surge may have come from higher gasoline prices and other lower-margin or one-time benefits. COST trades at roughly 45 times earnings, leaving limited room for execution misses or margin pressure. Costco’s Sales Rebound in September

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on COST. Roth Capital reissued a “sell” rating and set a $781.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Freedom Broker cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,030.00 to $1,010.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,046.27.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. The trade was a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of COST stock traded down $4.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $943.63. 605,358 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,187,891. The stock has a market cap of $418.48 billion, a PE ratio of 45.43, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $930.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $963.49.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%.The company had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 EPS for the current year.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.

Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.