OneAscent Financial Services LLC Sells 3,424 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

OneAscent Financial Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 81.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 787 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,424 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $5,692,035,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 418,980.3% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 2,359,422 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,335,686,000 after buying an additional 2,358,859 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,364,888,000 after buying an additional 1,377,328 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $875.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $388.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.91, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.02. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $893.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $933.62.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on COST. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. HSBC dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $994.08.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and talk of a possible special dividend lifted sentiment; upgrades typically support near-term buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recommended as a long-term growth hold (20-year thesis) by The Motley Fool, reinforcing buy-and-hold narratives that can support valuation over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight Costco’s digital ecosystem (e?commerce, AI, same?day delivery) as a growing driver of member engagement and sales, which supports revenue diversification and margin upside longer term. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting new store openings and consumer interest (e.g., Roseville store schedule, shopping features) is operationally positive but likely low-impact on immediate stock moves. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and TV coverage (Jim Cramer) are keeping the name in focus; useful for flows but not a decisive fundamental change. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several pieces warn about sluggish sales and membership growth and say valuation remains hard to justify — these concerns can limit upside until growth reaccelerates. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks’ more pessimistic note on Q2 earnings expectations highlights downside risk to near-term estimates and could pressure the stock if guidance or results disappoint. Article Title

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total transaction of $2,232,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total value of $2,526,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.