JT Stratford LLC Boosts Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

JT Stratford LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 57.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,375 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 867 shares during the period. JT Stratford LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Soundwatch Capital LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Q2 earnings after the close on March 5 — analysts expect another beat and technical indicators are bullish, making the report the main near-term catalyst for the stock. Should You Buy Costco Stock (COST) ahead of Q2 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Preview commentary and data point to another strong quarter (monthly sales and membership trends), and analysts note a chance Costco can highlight favorable effects from the recent tariff ruling. Costco Q2 Preview: Will Retailer Celebrate Tariff Ruling?
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media and analyst attention (predictions of a post-earnings surge, momentum stories) are keeping investor interest and buying interest elevated ahead of the print. Prediction: Costco Will Surge After March 5th
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing expansion: multiple new-store openings and large real-estate deals (e.g., Viva White Oak) support long-term growth and membership roll-ups. Costco signs on for Viva White Oak project in Montgomery County
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: coverage questions whether COST has “run too far” after strong YTD gains — this raises profit-taking risk even if fundamentals remain healthy. Has Costco Wholesale (COST) Run Too Far?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst deep-dives and metric-level previews (Zacks, MarketBeat) are setting expectations for comps, traffic and membership metrics — useful for trading around the print but not directional until results land. Curious about Costco (COST) Q2 Performance?
• Negative Sentiment: Customer/PR noise and policy confusion (return policy coverage) could create short-term reputation headwinds and modest consumer pushback. Costco members confused over return policy rule
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data posted in some feeds is inconsistent/zeroed and is not a reliable current signal for days-to-cover or directional pressure. (Ignore noisy short-interest entries until cleaner data is released.)

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,006.74 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,067.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $956.95 and a 200 day moving average of $935.59. The firm has a market cap of $446.86 billion, a PE ratio of 53.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 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.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its 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 net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price objective for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Gordon Haskett boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,016.18.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.