Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Harold Davidson & Associates Inc.

Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 41.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,776 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,685 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 2.4% of Harold Davidson & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,346,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,364,888,000 after buying an additional 1,377,328 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 15,055.5% during the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 320,994 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $317,722,000 after acquiring an additional 318,876 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Nike limited-release collaboration is generating social-media hype and high resale prices, driving earned awareness and foot traffic that could boost sales and membership perception. Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target to $1,000 (from $890) — a signal that some sell‑side analysts see further upside even as the firm kept a neutral rating. That can support investor confidence. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts PT on Costco Wholesale to $1,000
• Positive Sentiment: New member-facing services (online/custom cake ordering and popular new food-court items) are incremental revenue drivers and improve the value proposition for members. These rollouts support same-store engagement and ancillary sales. Costco unveiling online cake ordering
• Positive Sentiment: New club openings (example: a $62M Costco in a small Texas town) expand capacity and membership growth opportunities in underpenetrated markets. Tiny Texas town gears up for spring opening of $62M Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is paying dividends this February — a reminder of shareholder income support, but the payout is small relative to market cap and not a major valuation lever. Costco is Paying Dividends in February
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes COST underperformed while the broader market improved, highlighting near-term sentiment pressure despite longer-term fundamentals. Useful for traders assessing rotation risk. Costco (COST) Stock Declines While Market Improves
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is issuing refunds and recalling certain restaurant gift cards after an issuer bankruptcy/program closure — this creates short-term refund liability, member inconvenience and potential revenue timing issues. Costco to issue refunds for Synergy gift card program closure Costco Is Recalling Gift Cards Issued for Hundreds of Restaurants
• Negative Sentiment: Class-action lawsuits allege Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses a salmonella risk — legal exposure and negative PR could pressure margins and traffic if issues widen or lead to recalls. Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Company confirmation of strict entrance/exit store rules may harm in-store convenience and shopper throughput, a modest negative for traffic and member experience. Costco Confirms Strict Entrance and Exit Rules

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $8,792,849.10. This represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ COST opened at $996.08 on Thursday. 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 cap of $442.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.35, a PEG ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $930.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $933.95. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Gordon Haskett boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. HSBC cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,008.07.

Costco Wholesale Profile

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.