Mcdonald Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Mcdonald Partners LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 67.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 702 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,471 shares during the period. Mcdonald Partners LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on COST. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,016.18.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,007.77 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,067.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $954.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $935.09. The company has a market capitalization of $447.32 billion, a PE ratio of 53.98, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and retail commentators point to ongoing outperformance driven by membership strength and customers trading down in a pressured economy — executive membership upgrades are boosting revenues and margins. Where Will Costco Stock Be in 1 Year?
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s tech push — AI inventory tools, digital wallet and faster checkout — is showing productivity gains that can protect low prices and margins, reinforcing the growth narrative. Is Costco’s Technology Spending Finally Fueling Better Productivity?
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion and large real‑estate wins (new openings and anchoring the Viva White Oak development) support longer‑term same‑store traffic and membership growth. Costco To Anchor Massive Montgomery County Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings (March 5) are the immediate catalyst — investors are weighing Costco’s streak of beats against rich expectations; this creates short‑term volatility depending on the print and guidance. Costco (COST) Reports Q1: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing favorable analyst coverage and momentum/ growth score stories keep investor interest high, but they also reinforce expectations that are already priced in. 3 Reasons Why Growth Investors Shouldn’t Overlook Costco (COST)
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent short‑interest data in public feeds appears inconsistent (zeros/NaN), suggesting no meaningful short squeeze signal — treat those data points cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are prominent — some analyses argue COST is expensive near the $1,000 level (high P/E vs. retail peers), prompting sell/trim arguments that can cap upside. Sell Costco Stock At $1,000?
• Negative Sentiment: Customer friction from confusing return‑policy reports could modestly dent sentiment if amplified, though it’s unlikely to materially affect fundamentals. Costco members confused over return policy rule

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.