Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST is Bradyco Inc.’s 3rd Largest Position

Bradyco Inc. lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,819 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 660 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 8.2% of Bradyco Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Bradyco Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 2,206 shares during the period. Hurley Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $1,125 (from $1,115) and kept a Buy rating after Costco’s Q2 beat, citing strong membership income and traffic — a supportive signal for upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Several outlets/reporting services published higher price targets (including one noting a raise to $1,315), showing continued analyst bullishness and a range of upside scenarios priced in by some firms. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Tax/tariff news: a federal trade‑court ruling could generate tariff refunds that management says it may pass to members as lower prices — this would reinforce Costco’s value proposition and membership stickiness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational momentum: February comparable‑store sales were strong (Zacks cites comps up ~7.9%) and e‑commerce grew double digits, supporting the premium valuation on fundamental grounds. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Daiwa raised its target to $975 but kept a Neutral rating — a modestly positive PT move offset by a non‑bullish stance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Truist nudged its target higher to $977 (from $926) but reiterated a Hold, noting membership growth remains a constraint — mixed signal for near‑term upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company expansion note: Costco is building another standalone gas station — incremental revenue/traffic detail that is likely modestly accretive over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wide coverage pieces (Fool, Seeking Alpha) continue to debate valuation vs. peers (Walmart, Home Depot) — helpful context but not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its price target to $1,088, which, along with comments about premium valuation, adds near‑term downside risk if growth disappoints. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation/expectations: some analysts and writeups (Seeking Alpha coverage noted) view shares as fairly valued — combined with membership‑growth headwinds this can pressure the stock when sentiment weakens. Read More.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.8%

COST opened at $997.36 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The company has a market cap of $442.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.86, a PEG ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $967.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $935.85.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $8,792,849.10. This trade represents a 5.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on COST. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Profile

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.