Pitcairn Co. Sells 1,796 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Pitcairn Co. cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,256 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,796 shares during the quarter. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Gordon Haskett raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, February 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,017.34.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $982.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,067.08. The company has a market cap of $436.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.63, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $959.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $935.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.51 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 top‑ and bottom‑line beat: Costco reported $4.58 EPS vs. ~$4.51 consensus and revenue of $69.6B vs. ~$68.96B; sales rose ~9.2% YoY and comparable sales strengthened, supporting the underlying business momentum. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy and set a $1,115 price target, and the Street shows a majority of buy/outperform ratings with a median ~$1,050 target — a positive backdrop for longer‑term sentiment. BTIG Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Tariff refund messaging: CEO Ron Vachris said any tariff refunds would be passed back to members through lower prices/values — good for member goodwill but uncertain for near‑term margin or cash‑flow impact. Business Insider
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst takeaways and materials: coverage and slide deck are available (company slide deck and call), giving investors more details to assess international strength and membership trends. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and mixed prints: some outlets note shares slipped after the report and a third‑party data feed (Quiver) flagged misses versus other analyst models (slight EPS/revenue shortfalls vs. some estimates), which likely pressured sentiment. Quiver Quant
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and insider selling: Costco trades at a premium (high P/E), and recent filings/tallies show insider sales activity — both are weighty considerations for investors concerned about upside given stretched multiples. WSJ
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market/energy risks: an oil price jump tied to geopolitical risks (Strait of Hormuz concerns) is creating risk‑off pressure across retail names today, which can amplify a muted earnings reaction. Zacks

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.