24,845 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Smith Group Asset Management LLC

Posted by Geri Gentry on Oct 29th, 2026

Smith Group Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,399 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 24,845 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 2.5% of Smith Group Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Smith Group Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $37,687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,488,203,000 after buying an additional 773,651 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 5.5% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,068,312 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,870,314,000 after buying an additional 160,893 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,839,016 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,828,881,000 after buying an additional 283,360 shares during the period. Finally, Ascentis Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 103,637.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,500,062 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,549,616,000 after buying an additional 2,497,652 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $982.73 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $940.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $969.55. The company has a market capitalization of $435.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The company had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.87 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded its healthcare offering through a NationsBenefits partnership, allowing members to redeem eligible benefits in real time at checkout across more than 600 U.S. warehouses. The initiative could increase member engagement, convenience and store traffic while supporting Costco’s growing healthcare business. Costco brings real-time health benefit checkouts to more than 600 stores
Positive Sentiment: The retailer opened a new warehouse in Western New York, adding capacity and reinforcing its long-term strategy of expanding its membership base and geographic footprint. Costco opens its doors in Western New York
Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Costco’s fifth consecutive earnings beat, strong pharmacy growth and improving digital conversions, including gains from AI-powered website search. Analysts also point to improving technical momentum heading into November. Costco momentum is improving heading into November
Neutral Sentiment: Promotional offers providing new Gold Star members with a $45 digital Costco Shop Card for a $65 membership may help attract sign-ups, although the near-term effect on revenue and margins is unclear. New Costco Gold Star membership promotion
Neutral Sentiment: Long-term investment commentary remains broadly bullish, with Costco viewed as a defensive compounder and a potential healthcare or Medicare disrupter. However, these are forward-looking theses rather than new financial guidance.
Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to question Costco’s valuation near $1,000 per share, arguing that its premium multiple already reflects substantial growth. Expensive valuation and mixed macroeconomic conditions could pressure the stock if sales or margins merely meet expectations. Costco valuation remains a head scratcher
Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of COST, creating modest technical pressure. Separately, Costco withdrew an application for a proposed Idaho warehouse, highlighting that expansion plans can face local or regulatory setbacks. Costco sees net ETF selling
Negative Sentiment: The upcoming $1.47 dividend offers a relatively low yield at Costco’s current share price, limiting its appeal to income-focused investors and reducing support from dividend-driven buying.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,160.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. HSBC raised shares of Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,086.19.

View Our Latest Analysis on COST

Costco Wholesale Profile

(Free Report)

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.