Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Acquired by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 28,115 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,595,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,011.00 to $955.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,046.27.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock traded up $5.88 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $948.13. The stock had a trading volume of 903,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,188,588. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $930.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $963.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $420.48 billion, a PE ratio of 45.64, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.87 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 EPS for the current year.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13.0% year over year. Comparable sales increased 12.5% in the U.S., 6.3% in Canada and 10.8% in other international markets, for total comparable growth of 11.4%. The results reinforce Costco’s strong customer traffic and membership-driven business model. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports September Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: International revenue remains an important growth driver. Analysts are monitoring Costco’s overseas performance because continued gains could support Wall Street’s revenue forecasts and provide room for further earnings growth. Costco International Revenue Performance Explored
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s long-term investment case is supported by its reputation as a high-quality growth retailer, a history of dividend increases and potential expansion through new warehouses. Its cash accumulation has also prompted speculation about another special dividend, though no such payment has been announced. Costco Cash and Special Dividend Speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: September’s headline sales benefited from higher gasoline prices and foreign-exchange effects. One analyst also cautioned that some of the comparable-sales surge came from one-time, lower-margin factors, making the quality of the growth more important than the headline figure. Costco September Sales Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Costco trades at a demanding valuation, with a P/E ratio above 45, leaving the stock vulnerable if margins weaken or sales growth normalizes. Tariffs, product costs and other margin pressures remain key risks. Separately, a lawsuit alleging misleading “sugar-free” labeling on a Kirkland drink mix could create limited reputational or legal exposure.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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.