Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock: United Asset Strategies Inc. Cuts Holdings

United Asset Strategies Inc. decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 33.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,871 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 945 shares during the quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 21,064 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,176,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sterling Financial Planning Inc. now owns 636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 74.9% during the 3rd quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,995,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc now owns 3,337 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,038,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Morey & Quinn Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Morey & Quinn Wealth Partners LLC now owns 964 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $878,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at $2,964,701.74. This trade represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 value of $2,015,046.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. The trade was a 23.57% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on COST. Freedom Broker cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,030.00 to $1,010.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,230.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 28th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $781.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $996.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $441.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $941.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $969.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.87 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

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.