Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock: R Squared Ltd Increases Holdings

R Squared Ltd grew its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 178.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,211 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,701 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 2.0% of R Squared Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 107.7% in the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 27 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, John Boyer Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. This trade represents a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,083.95, for a total value of $975,555.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 5,698 shares in the company, valued at $6,176,347.10. This represents a 13.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,200 shares of company stock valued at $4,044,632. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,015.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Friday, September 25th. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, HSBC raised Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,092.23.

Key Costco Wholesale News

Here’s some of the latest news about COST:

• Positive Sentiment: Costco plans to expand its Hyderabad technology center after reporting a 60% productivity gain from AI, potentially supporting efficiency as the company grows. Article: Costco reveals 60% AI productivity gain in major expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $1,155 and maintained an Outperform rating, but noted that expectations ahead of earnings remain demanding. Article: Bernstein Makes Surprising Costco Call Before Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares for about $976,000, reducing her position by 13.64% but retaining 5,698 shares. A single executive sale is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. SEC Form 4 filing

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,102.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $963.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $974.45. The stock has a market cap of $483.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.61, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $30.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line. The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.