Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Boosted by Wedmont Private Capital

Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 64.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,293 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,414 shares during the quarter. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.9% during the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $200,372,000 after buying an additional 13,795 shares during the period. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth about $9,300,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $148,193,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares in the last quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $64,325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,766 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year. Total comparable sales increased 11.4%, while sales excluding gasoline and foreign-exchange effects rose 7.6%. Strong traffic, transactions and 19% digital growth point to continued operating momentum. Costco September Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and Jefferies viewed the September performance as evidence of an accelerating start to fiscal 2027. The results reinforce Costco’s reputation for resilient customer traffic and could support earnings estimates. Costco September Sales Point to Accelerating Trends
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its Sector Perform rating and set a $1,000 price target, implying moderate upside but no strong change in its investment view. RBC Costco Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson maintained a Hold rating following a warehouse-club tour, suggesting Costco’s execution remains solid but that the current valuation already reflects much of the company’s strengths. DA Davidson Costco Warehouse Tour
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cautioned that part of September’s comparable-sales surge came from higher gasoline prices and other lower-margin factors. This raises questions about how much of the growth will translate into profit expansion. Costco Sales Rebound Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s premium valuation, tariff and margin risks, and a reported lawsuit involving a Kirkland drink-mix “sugar-free” claim provide additional reasons investors may remain cautious.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price for the company. HSBC raised Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,015.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,046.27.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of COST stock traded down $2.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $945.58. 661,223 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,188,253. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $930.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $963.49. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market cap of $419.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.57, a PEG ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.87 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 EPS for the current year.

About Costco Wholesale

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.