Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Holdings Lessened by Ninety One UK Ltd

Ninety One UK Ltd reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 32.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 206,695 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 99,280 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $187,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $6,781,946,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at about $2,362,188,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,534,244.62. The trade was a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major price-target increase: Tigress Financial raised its COST price target from $1,065 to $1,250 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying substantial potential upside. Costco analyst price target report
• Positive Sentiment: Strong operating momentum: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year, while digitally enabled sales increased 19%. The results support the strength of its membership model and e-commerce business. Costco September sales report
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive positioning: Higher-than-expected inflation has encouraged investors to favor retailers selling essential goods. Costco benefited from this rotation alongside Walmart and Target. Retail defensive-sector rotation
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and expansion: Costco declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, payable November 13. Proposed new warehouses in Oakland and Merced County also point to continued long-term store expansion. Costco dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to expect earnings growth, with one estimate for fiscal 2027 EPS raised to $22.80. However, commentary describing COST as a portfolio-risk amplifier suggests investors remain focused on its correlation with the broader market and premium valuation. Costco market risk analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and insider selling: Costco trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving the stock vulnerable to disappointment in membership, sales or consumer spending trends. Separately, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares worth approximately $1.05 million, reducing his position by 26.23%. Costco insider sale report

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $978.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $433.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $932.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $963.09. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month 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.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.97 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Freedom Broker decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,030.00 to $1,010.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Roth Capital reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $781.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,091.00 to $1,079.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,087.40.

Costco Wholesale Profile

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.