Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Acquired Sen. Markwayne Mullin

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) recently bought shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). In a filing disclosed on January 16th, the Senator disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Costco Wholesale stock on December 29th.

Senator Markwayne Mullin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of RTX (NYSE:RTX) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) on 12/29/2025.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST traded up $6.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $963.61. The stock had a trading volume of 3,859,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,586,849. The firm has a market cap of $427.72 billion, a PE ratio of 51.61, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $894.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $930.25. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.04 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.85%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised shareholder returns with a confirmed quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share (payable Feb. 13), which supports income-focused demand and underpins buyer interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and momentum stories are signaling a breakout after late-2025 weakness; analysts and commentators pointing to stronger December sales and improving charts are drawing short-term buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple long-term investor pieces highlight Costco’s resilient membership model, renewal economics and international expansion as durable tailwinds that keep buy-and-hold interest elevated. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer-facing features (e.g., food-court pricing, membership perks) and new incentives to upgrade members to Executive status may help average spend and renewals over time, supporting the revenue mix. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer and lifestyle write-ups (buy-and-hold lists, product highlights) keep brand visibility high but are unlikely to move the stock materially by themselves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-flow commentary notes unusually active put activity on Costco — framed as a strategy for acquiring shares without overpaying; this highlights price sensitivity but isn’t a direct directional signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP James Klauer and other executives disclosed mid-January share sales (Klauer sold 1,500 shares), which can create short-term selling pressure and raise investor caution even if sales are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a constraint—COST trades at a premium versus peers (~50x earnings), so the stock is sensitive to any sign of slowing sales/margin improvement; some coverage highlights that premium as a risk to near-term gains. Read More.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth about $150,000. O Brien Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Finally, Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Lineweaver Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,944,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Daiwa Capital Markets decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total transaction of $1,157,994.18. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 11,946 shares of company stock valued at $10,958,028. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Senator Mullin

Markwayne Mullin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. He assumed office on January 11, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Mullin (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. Senate to represent Oklahoma. He won in the special general election on November 8, 2022. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and one of four Native American members of the 116th Congress. At the age of 20, Mullin took over his father’s plumbing business. He is also a former professional mixed martial artist. Markwayne Mullin graduated from Stilwell High School. Mullin earned an associate degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. His career experience includes owning and founding multiple businesses.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.