Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock: Godsey & Gibb Inc. Increases Stake

Godsey & Gibb Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,833 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,091 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.7% of Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Godsey & Gibb Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Effects LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the first quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 874 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the first quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 551 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the first quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 1,098 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,094,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Frisch Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the first quarter. Frisch Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,049 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Main Street Group LTD boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the first quarter. Main Street Group LTD now owns 1,226 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,221,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $781.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,011.00 to $955.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,081.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $982.00 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $435.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.30, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $931.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $963.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The firm had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.87 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Defensive-sector rotation: Higher inflation prompted investors to move toward companies selling everyday necessities. Costco benefited alongside Walmart and Target as a perceived defensive retailer. Walmart Advances as Inflation Data Sends Money Into Defensives
• Positive Sentiment: Strong September sales momentum: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year, while digitally enabled sales rose 19%. The figures reinforce the strength of its membership, value-focused pricing and e-commerce operations. Costco September Sales Jump and Faster Digital Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared: Costco’s board approved a quarterly cash dividend of $1.47 per share, payable November 13 to shareholders of record October 30. The payout provides a modest shareholder return and signals continued confidence in cash generation. Costco Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion and balance-sheet support: Analysts highlighted Costco’s approximately $21.3 billion liquidity cushion, manageable debt and robust cash flows as advantages for funding new warehouses and digital investments. A Florida city council also gave an early approval for a new store. How Costco’s Balance Sheet Gives It an Edge
• Positive Sentiment: Positive earnings expectations: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $22.80 from $22.67 and expects $25.01 for FY2028, modestly above the company’s current-year consensus outlook. Costco analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting Costco’s influence on home-buying decisions, younger membership growth and exclusive seasonal products reinforce brand engagement but are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Inside the Costco Effect
• Negative Sentiment: Costco continues to trade at a demanding valuation, with a high price-to-earnings multiple. That leaves COST vulnerable if sales growth, membership trends or consumer spending weaken.

Costco Wholesale 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.