Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Sold by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 13.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,748 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,402 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $30,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 27 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, John Boyer Inc. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s DoorDash and Uber Eats expansion could add sales, reach younger shoppers and support digital growth without reducing warehouse traffic. Read article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco received approval for a new store at Seacoast Landing in Newington, New Hampshire, with a 2027 opening targeted—supporting longer-term expansion. Read article
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary presents Costco as a durable blue-chip investment and highlights its ability to introduce appealing products, including a coffee offering tied to an emerging trend. These are supportive long-term views, not new financial guidance. Read article Read article
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discuss whether Costco could split its shares in 2027 because the price is above $1,000. A split could improve share accessibility but would not change the company’s underlying value, and no split has been announced. Read article
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs were reported as net sellers of about $75.6 million in COST shares on Oct. 29, which may have contributed to selling pressure; this is backward-looking and does not establish the cause of the latest decline. Read article

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were 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 approximately $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,019.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $451.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.10, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.85. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $946.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $971.09. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS 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 company had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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.