544 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Kimelman & Baird LLC

Kimelman & Baird LLC lessened its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 62,052 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 544 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 4.0% of Kimelman & Baird LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Kimelman & Baird LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $56,489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of COST. American State Bank Iowa grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. American State Bank Iowa now owns 1,675 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,525,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Chapman Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 200.5% during the 3rd quarter. Chapman Investment Management LLC now owns 13,962 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,710,000 after purchasing an additional 27,852 shares during the last quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 10,065 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,163,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. now owns 4,386 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,993,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Finally, Uhlmann Price Securities LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC now owns 656 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $597,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is 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: Costco reported October net sales of $24.50 billion, up 12.6% year over year. U.S. comparable sales rose 8.1% excluding gasoline-price changes, while digital growth also accelerated—evidence of continued customer demand. Costco’s October Net Sales Jump 12.6% as Digital Growth Accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $1,150 from $1,015 and maintained an overweight rating. Bank of America also kept its buy rating following the stronger U.S. comparable-sales results. JPMorgan price-target update Costco retains BofA buy as October U.S. comps rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage points to solid share-price momentum, supported by a string of earnings beats, but investors may be watching whether earnings growth can justify the stock’s valuation. Costco Stock: Earnings Growth Could Shape the Next Big Move
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a key risk: reports cite a trailing P/E near 49, leaving limited room for disappointment, while earnings revisions have raised concerns. Citi maintained a hold rating with a $1,020 target, reflecting a more cautious view than JPMorgan’s. Costco Stock: Why Analysts Are Split Despite Strong October Sales

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,175.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,011.00 to $955.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, October 30th. They set a “strong-buy” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,090.55.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,053.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $466.86 billion, a PE ratio of 50.75, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average is $952.42 and its 200-day moving average is $972.49. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.87 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line.

The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.

Founded in 1983 in Seattle, Costco has expanded across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.