Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Has $109.69 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 118,891 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,632 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $109,685,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. MFA Wealth Services boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 945 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $875,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Mindset Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.9% during the third quarter. Mindset Wealth Management LLC now owns 820 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $759,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. L2 Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.6% in the third quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 2,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,968,000 after buying an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Lincluden Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.8% in the third quarter. Lincluden Management Ltd. now owns 5,432 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,028,000 after buying an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 10,796 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,993,000 after buying an additional 917 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on COST. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Roth Mkm reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. HSBC decreased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,001.74 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $978.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $937.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $444.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.09, a P/E/G ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kirkland private-label strength is being highlighted as a growing competitive moat for Costco — the brand boosts margins, differentiates the value proposition for members, and reduces price sensitivity, supporting long-term same-store sales and loyalty. How Kirkland Quietly Became Costco’s Most Powerful Moat
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is piloting faster checkout technology that could reduce in-store friction, lower labor costs per transaction, and increase throughput — a potential near-term boost to store productivity and member satisfaction. Costco’s New Checkout Tech Could Get You Out The Door In Just Seconds
• Positive Sentiment: Costco will lower the cost of certain fertility drugs in New Jersey through its pharmacy program — a targeted healthcare/pricing initiative that can drive foot traffic, pharmacy volumes and goodwill (modest margin impact but positive for membership value). Costco to lower cost of fertility drugs in NJ
• Positive Sentiment: High share price and sustained outperformance have put Costco on lists of potential stock-split candidates — talk of a split can buoy retail demand and reduce psychological barriers to buying at high nominal prices. 3 Stocks That Could Be Next to Announce a Stock Split
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple investment pieces continue to profile Costco as a long-term buy-and-hold name vs. peers (e.g., comparisons to Coca‑Cola and lists of top retail holdings). These reinforce bullish narratives but don’t materially change near-term fundamentals. Best Stock to Buy and Hold Forever: Costco vs. Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Negotiations to site a new Asheville, NC Costco appear to have re-engaged — a potential local expansion that could add incremental sales over time but is still early-stage. Is Asheville Costco still possible? Store ‘reengages’ in negotiations
• Negative Sentiment: Costco has recalled prepared meatloaf meal kits and warned consumers after potential Salmonella contamination in multiple states. Food-safety recalls can hit short-term sales in affected categories, raise inspection/compliance costs, and create reputational risk if issues widen. Costco recalls prepared meatloaf meals over possible Salmonella risk

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.