Little House Capital LLC Buys 981 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Little House Capital LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 21.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,598 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 981 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.2% of Little House Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Little House Capital LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after purchasing an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 15,055.5% in the 2nd quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 320,994 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $317,722,000 after purchasing an additional 318,876 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BTIG Research began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price target for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their target price on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one investment 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 MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $970.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $903.08 and a 200 day moving average of $929.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $430.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.97, a PEG ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. The trade was a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco declared its first quarterly dividend of 2026, payable February 13 — a direct cash return that supports income-focused holders and underscores steady capital allocation. Costco to pay dividends on February 13; Here’s how much 100 COST shares will earn
• Positive Sentiment: Major shop-floor and sell-side attention: Morgan Stanley listed Costco among top picks into earnings, signaling institutional confidence ahead of results and likely supporting buying interest. Morgan Stanley’s top picks into earnings include AMD and Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators highlight durable growth drivers — new warehouse openings, rising same-store sales and a sticky, subscription-style membership model — supporting multi-year revenue growth and the possibility of much larger market cap over time. Can This Unstoppable Stock Join the $1 Trillion Club in 5 Years?
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet strength: coverage notes Costco’s cash-rich position, low leverage and rising membership fees, which increase financial flexibility to weather retail headwinds and support store expansion. Can Costco Outgrow Retail Headwinds? The Balance Sheet Says Yes
• Neutral Sentiment: Momentum and trading ideas: several market pieces discuss a recent rebound and short-term price moves, with commentary on tactical plays and price targets — useful for traders but less material for long-term fundamentals. Costco Stock Has Moved Up Over the Last Month – What Are the Best Plays Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and investor guides (shopping tips, product highlights, retrospectives on multi-year returns) are increasing public interest and brand visibility but have limited direct impact on fundamentals. Costco Stock Has Moved Up Over the Last Month – What Are the Best Plays Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest report in the data feed shows anomalies (reported zeros and NaN); no actionable short pressure signal for investors from the published figures. (Source: market short-interest summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: Costco faces a class-action lawsuit alleging misleading claims about its Kirkland rotisserie chicken (no preservatives). While likely not material to fundamentals, the case creates headline risk and could modestly affect sentiment if it escalates. Costco’s popular bargain meal at center of new lawsuit

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.