Sunbelt Securities Inc. Lowers Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Sunbelt Securities Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,591 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,366 shares during the quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,364,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377,328 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. The trade was 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 sold 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Gordon Haskett boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $996.16 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $441.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.80, a PEG ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $980.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $937.82.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management says shoppers remain willing to spend at Costco and its fuel business is resilient; commentary that Costco moderates gas margin changes supports steady traffic and membership value, a bullish signal for near-term same-store sales. Why Costco Stock Is Up 16% in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Kirkland Signature continues to expand (new products from wings to salmon and ongoing brand-strength coverage), reinforcing private-label margins and member loyalty — a structural moat that supports higher-margin sales over time. Costco adds new Kirkland Signature products
• Positive Sentiment: New checkout technology pilots could speed throughput and reduce labor/friction costs if rolled out broadly, improving store economics and customer experience. Costco’s New Checkout Tech
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is pursuing local expansion talks (Asheville, NC), which could support long-term growth but have limited immediate earnings impact. Is Asheville Costco still possible?
• Negative Sentiment: Costco has issued recalls and public warnings for prepared meatloaf/meal kits over potential Salmonella contamination in multiple states; recalls can drive short-term costs, refunds, regulatory scrutiny and pressure foot traffic for affected categories. Costco recalls popular heat-and-serve meal sold at NC stores
• Negative Sentiment: Broad media and health-department alerts (Hawaii, multiple states) amplified the recall story, increasing reputational risk and the chance of localized sales softness in deli/ready-to-eat categories. Costco warns shoppers after salmonella contamination

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.