Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Westerkirk Capital Inc.

Westerkirk Capital Inc. lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 19.7% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 4,978 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,219 shares during the period. Westerkirk Capital Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,608,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Supreme Court tariff ruling could benefit Costco financially and reputationally—companies that filed early suits, including Costco, may have an edge collecting refunds and avoiding passed?on tariffs, which supports margins and customer PR. Fortune: With Trump’s tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, Costco stands to win big
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and sell?side attention is bullish: Rothschild & Co Redburn published a note forecasting strong price appreciation for COST, which can attract buyers and support sentiment. American Banking News: Rothschild & Co Redburn Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Costco
• Positive Sentiment: High?visibility brand moves: a limited Nike partnership generated buzz and social resale demand, boosting marketing momentum and potential traffic to warehouses. Motley Fool: Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow and trading ideas: some outlets are promoting short?term bullish option strategies on COST, indicating retail and options traders are active but not changing fundamentals. Investors Business Daily: Bull Put Spread Idea
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest notices in the feed show large increases but report zero shares and 0.0 days (likely a data/reporting error); not meaningful for immediate positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Food?safety litigation: a class?action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses a salmonella risk—legal exposure and reputational damage could pressure sales in affected categories. MyNorthwest: Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headline hits: Costco is issuing refunds and recalling certain gift cards after a program closure, and it dropped an Asheville store proposal citing cost/requirements—both are modest near?term costs and may dent local expansion sentiment. Yahoo: Costco drops Asheville proposal due to requirements, costs Yahoo: Costco Is Recalling Gift Cards Issued for Hundreds of Restaurants

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,155.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,008.07.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $985.27 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,067.08. The company has a market capitalization of $437.33 billion, a PE ratio of 52.77, a P/E/G ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average of $934.56 and a 200-day moving average of $934.47.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.04 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.85%.

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.