18,418 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 19.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 77,078 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 18,418 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $70,326,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 28.5% in the third quarter. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators now owns 48,130 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $43,815,000 after acquiring an additional 10,676 shares in the last quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 8.1% during the third quarter. Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management now owns 1,581 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,440,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 178.9% during the third quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 4,211 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,833,000 after purchasing an additional 2,701 shares in the last quarter. Welch Financial Planning LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 10.4% during the third quarter. Welch Financial Planning LLC now owns 469 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $427,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Strum & Towne Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 20.6% in the third quarter. Van Strum & Towne Inc. now owns 819 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $746,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This trade represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 4,200 shares of company stock valued at $4,044,632 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,230.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, October 9th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, October 21st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,050.00 target price for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,092.23.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,092.21 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,102.84. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $963.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $974.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $483.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.85.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.87 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $30.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.32%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

Investors following COST have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Costco plans to expand its Hyderabad technology center after reporting a 60% productivity gain from AI, potentially supporting efficiency as the company grows. Article: Costco reveals 60% AI productivity gain in major expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein raised its price target to $1,155 and maintained an Outperform rating, but noted that expectations ahead of earnings remain demanding. Article: Bernstein Makes Surprising Costco Call Before Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: Freedom Broker downgraded Costco to Hold from Buy, citing the stock’s rich price, while an overbought RSI reading points to possible near-term momentum fatigue. Article: Costco Is Up 18% in a Year. Freedom Broker Says That’s Enough

About Costco Wholesale

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.