Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Has $376.84 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 407,114 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 22,198 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 1.0% of Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $376,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. Hurley Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and membership strength: Costco reported stronger-than-expected FQ2 results (revenue and EPS beats) and management highlighted membership growth and traffic as key drivers, underpinning confidence in recurring fee income and sales momentum. Costco Reports $68.24B FQ2 Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Membership mix and premium sign?ups: Executive membership growth (near 40M members, +~9%) supports higher-margin recurring fee income and may sustain revenue per member. This is a structural tailwind for margins and cash flow. Is a $130 Costco executive membership the new VIP status?
• Positive Sentiment: In?warehouse innovation and product drops: Expanded in?warehouse experiences, curated product drops (e.g., fashion/brand collaborations) and new assortments (including third?party brands like Hiboy e?bikes) are helping traffic and impulse sales. Costco Expands In?Warehouse Experiences Hiboy C1 E?Bike Lands at Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Digital growth and traffic resilience: Management says digital sales and e?commerce expansion remain contributors to growth, but macro headwinds (e.g., energy-driven pressure on discretionary budgets) add uncertainty to near?term sales cadence. Costco Says Shoppers Are Still Spending Rising gas prices could offset tax refunds
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale: An EVP disclosed a sale of ~730 shares; the size is immaterial relative to Costco’s market cap and does not signal a clear change in insider confidence. Executive Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff?refund lawsuits create legal overhang: Multiple proposed class?action suits allege Costco must pass along refunds to customers after the Supreme Court struck down certain Trump?era tariffs; plaintiffs seek substantial recoveries and class status, introducing potential liability, administrative burden and PR risk until resolved. Reuters: Costco customers sue
• Negative Sentiment: Complex legal landscape: Coverage notes the situation is “messy” — Costco has also pursued government action to recover tariff amounts, but parallel suits against the company could keep volatility and headline risk elevated until legal outcomes and any government refunds are clarified. Barron’s: Tariff refunds are getting messy

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5%

COST stock opened at $1,008.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $975.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $937.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $447.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Hovde Group started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

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.