Coastline Trust Co trimmed its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) by 14.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,726 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,505 shares during the quarter. Coastline Trust Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 48.3% during the second quarter. Greenwich Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,000 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,871,000 after buying an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 42.0% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 117,027 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $109,475,000 after buying an additional 34,608 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 21,023 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,666,000 after acquiring an additional 6,969 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 68.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,042,046 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $974,803,000 after acquiring an additional 424,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $22,359,224,000 after acquiring an additional 5,749,362 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.
Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Costco’s fiscal fourth-quarter performance exceeded expectations: revenue rose 11.1% year over year to $95.72 billion and earnings reached $6.75 per share versus the $6.54 consensus estimate. Comparable sales increased 9.4% overall and 10.7% in the United States, driven by higher traffic and larger transaction sizes. Costco’s Sales Momentum Builds as Q4 Traffic and Ticket Rise
- Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to point to Costco’s membership-based model as a competitive advantage. Membership revenue rose about 11%, executive-member penetration reached a record, and strong renewal rates provide recurring cash flow to support digital growth and new warehouse expansion. Should You Buy, Hold or Sell Costco Stock After Its Q4 Earnings Beat?
- Positive Sentiment: Planned and ongoing Business Center projects in Texas and Kansas City, along with continued strength in fresh food, e-commerce and other ancillary businesses, reinforce Costco’s expansion opportunity and could broaden its commercial customer base. Costco Business Center Breaks Ground in Haltom City
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentators argue that Costco could remain attractive even without a potential $10 or $15 special dividend in 2027, viewing special payouts as supplemental rather than central to the company’s growth thesis. Costco’s regular quarterly dividend remains modest, with an annualized payout of $5.88 per share. Even If Costco Doesn’t Pay a Special Dividend in 2027
- Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s return of a discontinued food-court dessert is likely to support member engagement and publicity but has little direct effect on financial results. Speculation that the high-priced shares could eventually split is similarly sentiment-driven rather than a change in underlying value.
- Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares for approximately $2.02 million, reducing her direct holdings by 23.57%. The transaction may weigh on sentiment, though it does not by itself indicate deteriorating fundamentals. Costco Insider Claudine Adamo Sells 2,200 Shares
- Negative Sentiment: Despite repeated earnings beats and a strong membership model, analysts caution that Costco trades at an elevated earnings multiple. That valuation leaves less room for slowing sales, margin pressure or execution setbacks; some analysts have recently reduced price targets while maintaining generally favorable ratings. Costco Has One of Retail’s Strongest Businesses
Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7%
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%.Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.87 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 28.32%.
Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale
In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,015.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,046.27.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on COST
Costco Wholesale Profile
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.
Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.
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