Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Bought by First Financial Bank Trust Division

First Financial Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 463.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,040 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,678 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,857,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. Sarasin & Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $200,372,000 after purchasing an additional 13,795 shares during the period. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $9,300,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $148,193,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.0% during the second quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $64,325,000 after buying an additional 5,656 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at $1,413,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST traded up $4.60 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $914.94. 2,108,409 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,201,888. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $933.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $965.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The company has a market cap of $405.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.86.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%.The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s ancillary businesses—including gasoline, pharmacy and travel—are increasing member engagement, expanding share of wallet and potentially supporting higher-margin revenue. Costco’s Ancillary Businesses Expand Share-of-Wallet Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fiscal fourth-quarter results remain the primary bullish catalyst: revenue rose 11.1% year over year to $95.72 billion and earnings reached $6.75 per share, exceeding consensus estimates. Strong traffic, larger baskets, membership growth, digital sales and warehouse expansion reinforce Costco’s growth outlook. Costco Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: New and converted Business Center locations in Texas and Kansas City should broaden Costco’s commercial customer base and add long-term sales capacity. Haltom City Business Center
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary remains supportive of Costco’s recurring membership-fee model and intermittent special dividends, although any future $10 or $15 special dividend is uncertain. Costco Special Dividend Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: AI-related demand may push up prices for certain electronics and other products, encouraging members to buy sooner but potentially creating affordability and margin considerations for retailers. Costco Prices and AI Demand
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares worth approximately $2.02 million, reducing her direct stake by 23.57%. The transaction does not indicate weaker fundamentals, but insider selling can weigh on sentiment. Claudine Adamo Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 44 times earnings, COST remains expensive relative to much of retail. Analysts continue to cite limited room for execution mistakes, even though the consensus rating remains “Moderate Buy.”

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $781.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,046.27.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.

Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.