Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) EVP Claudine Adamo Sells 2,200 Shares of Stock

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.5%

Costco Wholesale stock traded down $14.25 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $910.34. The stock had a trading volume of 2,209,027 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,202,330. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $403.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.85, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $933.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $966.60.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The company’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.87 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 28.32%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 11.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,488,203,000 after buying an additional 773,651 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,328,729 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,732,836,000 after acquiring an additional 143,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,937,286 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,395,301,000 after acquiring an additional 77,650 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on COST shares. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday. Argus restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,230.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,015.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,046.27.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s fiscal fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations, with revenue of $95.72 billion, up 11.1% year over year, and earnings of $6.75 per share versus the $6.54 consensus. Comparable sales rose 9.4%, supported by higher traffic and larger average baskets. Costco’s Sales Momentum Builds as Q4 Traffic and Ticket Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Membership remains a major strength: membership-fee revenue increased approximately 11% to $5.907 billion, while executive membership penetration reached a record. High renewal rates and recurring fee income support Costco’s earnings resilience. Costco Collects More Membership Fees
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 10.7%, while fresh food, digital sales, gas, pharmacy, and travel contributed to broad-based momentum. Management also highlighted continued warehouse expansion and international growth opportunities. Costco’s U.S. Comp Sales Lead
• Neutral Sentiment: Some investors view Costco’s retreat from its 52-week high as a potential opportunity, with bullish models projecting further upside. However, the shares remain expensive at roughly 44 times earnings, leaving limited room for execution disappointments. Costco Stock Trades Below Its High
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have reduced price targets after the earnings beat, including Daiwa’s cut to $950 from $975 while maintaining a Neutral rating. The revisions signal concern that Costco’s premium valuation already reflects much of its strong performance. Daiwa Adjusts Costco Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is cutting prices on everyday goods to help shoppers cope with inflation. While this may protect traffic and loyalty, it could pressure merchandise margins. Investors are also watching membership trends as changing shopper behavior raises questions about future membership growth. Costco Shoppers Are Changing

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.