2,595 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Everett Harris & Co. CA

Everett Harris & Co. CA lowered its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 731,934 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,595 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 7.9% of Everett Harris & Co. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $666,309,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in COST. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $200,372,000 after buying an additional 13,795 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $16,013,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $148,193,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.0% during the second quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $64,325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,766 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $996.08 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $941.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $969.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The company has a market capitalization of $441.39 billion, a PE ratio of 47.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.87 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.32%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s shares increased as the Federal Trade Commission opened a pricing probe into rivals Walmart and Target. The investigation could highlight Costco’s value proposition and competitive positioning, although it does not directly involve Costco. Costco Stock Ticks Up as the FTC Launches Pricing Probe into Rivals
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to Costco attracting younger shoppers, including consumers under 40 who use mobile and artificial-intelligence tools while retaining interest in the company’s “treasure hunt” shopping experience. This suggests Costco’s brand and digital engagement remain relevant to future members. The New Costco Shopper Is Under 40
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to cite Costco’s competitive advantages, including strong member loyalty, high renewal rates and the recurring revenue generated by memberships. CICC also initiated coverage with an Outperform rating, adding to the positive analyst sentiment. Costco Stock’s Long-Term Upside Could Come From These Competitive Advantages
• Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded real-time health-benefit redemptions to more than 600 U.S. warehouses through NationsBenefits. The initiative could improve convenience, support store traffic and create longer-term opportunities in healthcare-related services. Costco Brings Real-Time Health Benefit Checkouts to More Than 600 Stores
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco opened a location in Western New York, providing incremental warehouse expansion and potential membership growth, though the financial impact is likely limited in the near term. Costco Opens Its Doors in Western New York
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s valuation remains a concern: its premium price-to-earnings multiple leaves less room for execution mistakes and may limit upside if growth slows. Costco’s Valuation Remains a Head Scratcher
• Negative Sentiment: Complaints about Costco’s food-court experience represent a minor customer-satisfaction risk, though the issue is unlikely to materially affect the investment thesis by itself. Costco Faces Major Food Court Complaints

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. HSBC raised shares of Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,160.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,086.19.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.