Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Holdings Trimmed by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 17.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 440,669 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 91,081 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $401,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $22,359,224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,749,362 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,488,203,000 after purchasing an additional 773,651 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 5.5% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,068,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,870,314,000 after acquiring an additional 160,893 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,839,016 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,828,881,000 after purchasing an additional 283,360 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,362,188,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 900 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,083.95, for a total transaction of $975,555.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,200 shares of company stock worth $4,044,632. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: Freedom Broker downgraded Costco to Hold from Buy, citing the stock’s rich price, while an overbought RSI reading points to possible near-term momentum fatigue. Article: Costco Is Up 18% in a Year. Freedom Broker Says That’s Enough
• 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 Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $963.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $974.45. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,102.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The firm 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.87 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be given a $30.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Freedom Broker cut Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their target price for the company from $1,010.00 to $1,050.00 in a report on Tuesday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. TD Cowen began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, October 30th. They set a “strong-buy” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, HSBC upgraded Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,092.23.

Costco Wholesale 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.