Roberts Capital Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Roberts Capital Advisors LLC lowered its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 50.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 910 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 911 shares during the period. Roberts Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 38.2% during the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 54,319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $50,279,000 after purchasing an additional 15,025 shares during the last quarter. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $41,365,000. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the third quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 30,657 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,378,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.3% in the third quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 13,739 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,717,000 after buying an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the third quarter. Financial Life Planners now owns 2,814 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,604,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $1,125 (from $1,115) and kept a Buy rating after Costco’s latest quarterly beat, highlighting resilient membership income and traffic that support further upside. BTIG Raises Costco Target
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish commentary pieces note Costco’s continued revenue growth, membership economics and long-term outperformance, supporting investor confidence in secular growth and renewal-driven cash flow. Is Costco Stock a Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Daiwa lifted its target to $975 from $917 but kept a Neutral rating, signaling slightly improved analyst expectations without changing the stance. Daiwa Adjusts Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $977 (from $926) but reiterated a Hold, citing solid results offset by slower membership growth — a mixed signal for near-term upside. Truist Lifts PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Several consumer/ETF stories point to warehouse clubs and discount-retailer ETFs (which include COST) as beneficiaries if shoppers shift to value — supportive demand narrative but indirect for Costco’s stock. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed nationwide class action alleges Costco didn’t pass through refunds to customers after import tariffs were struck down, creating potential litigation exposure and reputational risk. Customers Sue Over Tariff Refunds
• Negative Sentiment: Rising gas prices and supply-chain strains are flagged as a potential margin pressure point for Costco’s low-price model — a near-term headwind if fuel-driven costs force price or margin trade-offs. Gas Prices Could Hurt Costco
• Negative Sentiment: An EVP sold 730 shares (disclosed in an SEC Form 4), a relatively small insider trim but often interpreted negatively by short-term traders. SEC Filing: Insider Sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short-interest reports show anomalous zero/NaN figures (data issue); no clear evidence of a material increase in short interest to explain today’s move.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Gordon Haskett lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% 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 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $992.15 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $969.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $936.24. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $440.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.59, a PEG ratio of 5.04 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during 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 business’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. Analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.