Providence First Trust Co Has $210,000 Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Providence First Trust Co reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 87.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 244 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,746 shares during the quarter. Providence First Trust Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hurley Capital LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on COST. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Gordon Haskett raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: April net sales jumped 13.0% year-over-year to $23.92 billion for the four weeks ended May 3, signaling continued top-line momentum and SKU sell-through strength. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports April Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Higher U.S. gasoline prices could boost traffic to Costco fuel centers and lift fuel-margin contributions, a potential tailwind for membership and ancillary sales. Costco Stock (COST) in Focus as U.S. Gasoline Prices Near Record High
• Positive Sentiment: Foot-traffic trends show Costco stores getting busier over several years, supporting membership renewals and higher basket sizes versus peers. Strong traffic persistence is a structural advantage. It’s not in your head: Costco has gotten more crowded
• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion: construction is starting on a Milwaukee County store and a new Camarillo gas station opened ahead of warehouse construction — signs of continued real-estate growth and capacity to add revenue. Construction starts soon on Costco’s first Milwaukee County store after land deal Costco opens Camarillo gas station ahead of warehouse construction
• Neutral Sentiment: Feature and merchandise coverage (new groceries, product launches, and grocery lists) supports customer engagement but is unlikely to move shares materially in the short term. The Best New Costco Groceries Hitting Shelves This Month
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons among big-box peers (Walmart, Target) keep Costco in investor screens; these pieces help sentiment framing but don’t by themselves drive immediate moves. Which Big-Box Store Chain Has Dominated 2026: Walmart, Target, or Costco?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage noting the stock has slid and reporting the intraday decline likely feeds short?term selling and stops. That commentary amplifies volatility even when company fundamentals are steady. Costco (COST) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: commentary warns the stock is richly valued after strong YTD gains, which can make investors hesitant to add new positions and pressure the share price on any macro softening. Costco (COST) Is Hard Not to Love. Buying It Right Now Is Harder
• Negative Sentiment: Broader retail headwinds: Moody’s and other analysts flag an unfavorable retail backdrop (higher prices, weaker discretionary demand); even market leaders can see multiple compression in such environments. Walmart, Costco poised to win amid unfavorable retail environment

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of COST stock opened at $995.75 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $997.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $950.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $441.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.78, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.02 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Costco Wholesale

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.