Moors & Cabot Inc. Decreases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Moors & Cabot Inc. reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,672 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,821 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.7% during the third quarter. Brown Wealth Management LLC now owns 305 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the third quarter. Caliber Wealth Management LLC KS now owns 655 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Somerset Group LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Somerset Group LLC now owns 4,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,906,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 4.3% in the third quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 268 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank & Trust Co boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 71 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,051.18.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of COST opened at $995.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $441.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.75, a PEG ratio of 4.94 and a beta of 0.92. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $1,008.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $962.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.98 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.68 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 30.58%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported stronger-than-expected sales, including U.S. same-store sales growth of 9.8% and adjusted comparable sales up 6.6%, showing that demand remains resilient even in a pressured consumer environment.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue came in above Wall Street expectations, with $70.53 billion in quarterly sales versus estimates of $69.68 billion, reinforcing the company’s ability to keep growing at scale.
• Positive Sentiment: Membership and gas-related traffic appear to be supporting results, with higher fuel prices bringing more shoppers into warehouses and boosting basket sizes and same-store sales.
• Neutral Sentiment: EPS of $4.93 was slightly below the consensus estimate of $4.98, making the report mixed rather than uniformly strong, even though profits still improved year over year.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several pre-earnings articles framed Costco as a high-quality defensive retailer with a premium valuation, suggesting investors may continue to focus on whether the stock can justify its elevated multiple.
• Negative Sentiment: The small earnings miss could temper enthusiasm in the near term, especially given the stock’s recent run-up and the market’s high expectations heading into the print.

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.