2,595 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Everett Harris & Co. CA

Key Points

• Everett Harris & Co. CA trimmed its Costco position by 2,595 shares in the third quarter, leaving it with 731,934 shares valued at approximately $666.3 million; Costco remains the firm’s fourth-largest holding.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 25 Buy ratings, eight Holds and one Sell, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $1,086.19. Institutional investors own 68.48% of Costco’s shares.
• Costco exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $6.75 in EPS and $95.72 billion in revenue, while sales rose 11.1% year over year. However, the stock’s elevated valuation—about 48 times earnings—remains a key risk.

Everett Harris & Co. CA reduced its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 731,934 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,595 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 7.9% of Everett Harris & Co. CA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Everett Harris & Co. CA owned approximately 0.17% of Costco Wholesale worth $666,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 27 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, John Boyer Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,011.00 to $955.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,160.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,086.19.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s shares increased as the Federal Trade Commission opened a pricing probe into rivals Walmart and Target. The investigation could highlight Costco’s value proposition and competitive positioning, although it does not directly involve Costco. Costco Stock Ticks Up as the FTC Launches Pricing Probe into Rivals
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to Costco attracting younger shoppers, including consumers under 40 who use mobile and artificial-intelligence tools while retaining interest in the company’s “treasure hunt” shopping experience. This suggests Costco’s brand and digital engagement remain relevant to future members. The New Costco Shopper Is Under 40
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to cite Costco’s competitive advantages, including strong member loyalty, high renewal rates and the recurring revenue generated by memberships. CICC also initiated coverage with an Outperform rating, adding to the positive analyst sentiment. Costco Stock’s Long-Term Upside Could Come From These Competitive Advantages
• Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded real-time health-benefit redemptions to more than 600 U.S. warehouses through NationsBenefits. The initiative could improve convenience, support store traffic and create longer-term opportunities in healthcare-related services. Costco Brings Real-Time Health Benefit Checkouts to More Than 600 Stores
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco opened a location in Western New York, providing incremental warehouse expansion and potential membership growth, though the financial impact is likely limited in the near term. Costco Opens Its Doors in Western New York
• Negative Sentiment: Costco’s valuation remains a concern: its premium price-to-earnings multiple leaves less room for execution mistakes and may limit upside if growth slows. Costco’s Valuation Remains a Head Scratcher
• Negative Sentiment: Complaints about Costco’s food-court experience represent a minor customer-satisfaction risk, though the issue is unlikely to materially affect the investment thesis by itself. Costco Faces Major Food Court Complaints

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $996.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company's fifty day moving average price is $941.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $969.91. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The company has a market capitalization of $441.39 billion, a PE ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. Costco Wholesale's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.87 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Profile

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.

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