NBT Bank N A NY Increases Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

NBT Bank N A NY raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,829 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 774 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.0% of NBT Bank N A NY’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. NBT Bank N A NY’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the third quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 1,947 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,802,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,446 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,190,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.3% in the third quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,274 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,031,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the third quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 6,167 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,708,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First National Advisers LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 7,263 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,723,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Gordon Haskett lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Mizuho set a $1,000.00 target price on Costco Wholesale and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 target price for the company. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $963.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $427.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.61, a PEG ratio of 5.73 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $894.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $930.63. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised shareholder returns with a confirmed quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share (payable Feb. 13), which supports income-focused demand and underpins buyer interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and momentum stories are signaling a breakout after late-2025 weakness; analysts and commentators pointing to stronger December sales and improving charts are drawing short-term buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple long-term investor pieces highlight Costco’s resilient membership model, renewal economics and international expansion as durable tailwinds that keep buy-and-hold interest elevated. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer-facing features (e.g., food-court pricing, membership perks) and new incentives to upgrade members to Executive status may help average spend and renewals over time, supporting the revenue mix. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer and lifestyle write-ups (buy-and-hold lists, product highlights) keep brand visibility high but are unlikely to move the stock materially by themselves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-flow commentary notes unusually active put activity on Costco — framed as a strategy for acquiring shares without overpaying; this highlights price sensitivity but isn’t a direct directional signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP James Klauer and other executives disclosed mid-January share sales (Klauer sold 1,500 shares), which can create short-term selling pressure and raise investor caution even if sales are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a constraint—COST trades at a premium versus peers (~50x earnings), so the stock is sensitive to any sign of slowing sales/margin improvement; some coverage highlights that premium as a risk to near-term gains. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. The trade was a 16.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 11,946 shares of company stock worth $10,958,028 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.