Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY Lowers Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 109,395 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,624 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.6% of Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $101,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,499,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $874,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,640,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,444 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 7,116 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,003.23 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $445.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.17, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $972.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $936.70.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict 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, 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.04%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Gordon Haskett raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Hovde Group initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results and commentary showed continued momentum — revenue and EPS beat estimates, management cited membership/traffic gains and price management that supported sales. Costco Reports $68.24B FQ2 Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support is lifting sentiment — BMO and other shops have raised targets or reiterated Outperform/Buy ratings after the quarter, helping offset headline risk. BMO Sees Costco as Stable Bet
• Positive Sentiment: Operational tailwinds: new warehouse openings, expanded in?warehouse experiences and viral product drops (e.g., Off?White hoodies) are driving foot traffic and membership engagement. Off?White Hoodies Spark Frenzy Liberty Hill Costco Opening
• Neutral Sentiment: Daiwa and other firms tweaked targets (some higher) while keeping conservative ratings in some cases — a modest vote of confidence but not uniformly bullish. Daiwa Adjusts Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider activity: an EVP disclosed the sale of ~730 shares — small relative to Costco’s market cap and unlikely to drive the move on its own. Executive Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang: a proposed nationwide class action alleges Costco must pass along tariff refunds to customers after the Supreme Court voided certain Trump?era tariffs — plaintiffs seek broad relief and this creates uncertainty over potential liabilities, refunds, and reputational risk. Reuters: Costco customers sue MSN: Costco Sued Over Tariffs
• Negative Sentiment: Negative framing in some outlets suggests the suits could pressure Costco’s low?margin model if rulings force refunds or changes to pricing practices; outcome and exposure remain uncertain and litigation could be a headline risk. 24/7 Wall St: Profit Model Threatened
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/commodity risks (Gulf tensions, oil spike) could weigh on consumer sentiment and fuel costs — a potential headwind for retailers if sustained. Heard on the Street: Gulf Worries

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.