Omega Financial Group LLC Cuts Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Omega Financial Group LLC cut its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 38.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 975 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 618 shares during the quarter. Omega Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,499,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares during the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $874,000. FORA Capital LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $2,781,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,098,000 after buying an additional 27,625 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Curtis Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,911,000 after buying an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on COST. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,045.97.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion — Haltom City won a Costco Business Center with an attached fuel station, signaling continued footprint growth and fuel-margin revenue opportunities in a new market. Haltom City lands Costco Business Center, fuel station in major economic win
• Positive Sentiment: New store momentum — A Pensacola Costco has a tentative opening date, underscoring steady unit growth that supports longer-term sales and membership expansion. Pensacola’s Costco has an opening date. Sort of.
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic rollout — Costco says it aims to open dozens more warehouses in the coming years, a clear growth plan that supports revenue and membership metrics. Expansion cadence is a direct driver of sales growth. Costco aims for dozens more warehouses in coming years: Here’s when the newest open
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return — The board approved a ~13% quarterly dividend increase to $1.47 per share, raising the annualized payout and making the stock more attractive to income-focused investors. Costco (COST) Approves Quarterly Dividend Increase Amid Robust Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Investor bullishness — Analysis pieces argue that Costco remains a sector leader and that buying on recent pullbacks could be compelling for long-term investors, supporting demand for the stock. With Costco Down 7% From Its All-Time High, Could Buying Now Set You Up for Life?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — Coverage notes COST outperformed a weak market session, reflecting defensive demand but not changing fundamentals. Short-term price action may be tied to market rotation rather than new company catalysts. Costco (COST) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion — Several analyst/opinion pieces question whether COST is “too expensive” near $1,000 a share despite strong fundamentals; valuation concerns could temper further rapid upside. Is Costco’s Stock Too Expensive Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Rising competition — BJ’s Wholesale Club is expanding in Texas with new locations and low gas prices, representing localized competitive pressure that could affect membership and fuel margins in those markets. New BJ’s locations Texas: Club rivaling Costco, Sam’s expands to Texas

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,014.38 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $450.03 billion, a PE ratio of 52.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.95 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $997.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $947.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.