Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 4,193 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 79,754 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,193 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $73,823,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of COST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,692,035,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 418,980.3% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 2,359,422 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,335,686,000 after buying an additional 2,358,859 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position 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 worth $1,364,888,000 after buying an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $42,920,107,000 after acquiring 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 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,966.10. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $2,232,312.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,860,260. The trade was a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 11,946 shares of company stock valued at $10,958,028 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised shareholder returns with a confirmed quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share (payable Feb. 13), which supports income-focused demand and underpins buyer interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and momentum stories are signaling a breakout after late-2025 weakness; analysts and commentators pointing to stronger December sales and improving charts are drawing short-term buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple long-term investor pieces highlight Costco’s resilient membership model, renewal economics and international expansion as durable tailwinds that keep buy-and-hold interest elevated. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer-facing features (e.g., food-court pricing, membership perks) and new incentives to upgrade members to Executive status may help average spend and renewals over time, supporting the revenue mix. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer and lifestyle write-ups (buy-and-hold lists, product highlights) keep brand visibility high but are unlikely to move the stock materially by themselves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-flow commentary notes unusually active put activity on Costco — framed as a strategy for acquiring shares without overpaying; this highlights price sensitivity but isn’t a direct directional signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP James Klauer and other executives disclosed mid-January share sales (Klauer sold 1,500 shares), which can create short-term selling pressure and raise investor caution even if sales are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a constraint—COST trades at a premium versus peers (~50x earnings), so the stock is sensitive to any sign of slowing sales/margin improvement; some coverage highlights that premium as a risk to near-term gains. Read More.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $963.61 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company’s fifty day moving average is $894.70 and its 200 day moving average is $930.25. The stock has a market cap of $427.72 billion, a PE ratio of 51.61, a PEG ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 1.02.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.04 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on COST. Roth Capital set a $769.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $996.00.

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.