Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co increased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 29,437 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 3,712 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 2.6% of Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Harbour Trust & Investment Management Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $25,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hurley Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a meaningful dividend increase (quarterly to $1.47, annualized $5.88), a direct cash return that supports income-oriented holders and signals confidence in cash flow. Costco (COST) Approves Quarterly Dividend Increase Amid Robust Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management is pushing aggressive store growth — targeting ~30 new warehouses per year — which should relieve overcrowding, widen membership reach and support long-term sales/margin improvements if execution stays on track. Costco plans major growth push, targeting 30 new locations annually
• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion continues (example: a new Costco planned for northeast Edmonton), reinforcing the growth story at the store level. A new Costco location is in the works for northeast Edmonton
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger’s costly automation rollout failure highlights execution risk in grocery tech — a negative for Kroger but indirectly a reminder that Costco’s simpler, scale-driven model can have competitive advantages; effect on COST is ambiguous. Why Kroger’s $2.6B Automation Bet Failed
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail/consumer news (e.g., Tractor Supply’s miss) may add short-term sector noise but doesn’t directly change Costco’s fundamentals. Tractor Supply Is Today’s Worst S&P 500 Stock. Here’s Why.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: multiple analyst/press pieces argue COST looks expensive near $1,000 and suggest other S&P names with similar resilience but cheaper multiples — this commentary can prompt profit-taking and cap upside. Is Costco’s Stock Too Expensive Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Competition: BJ’s expansion into Texas increases regional competition in the warehouse club space, which could pressure market share/pricing in specific markets over time. New BJ’s locations Texas: Club rivaling Costco, Sam’s expands to Texas

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,003.70 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The stock has a market cap of $445.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.19, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $996.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $946.64.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a $1.47 dividend. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on COST. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Gordon Haskett raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.