Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC trimmed its stake in Costco (COST) by 0.9%, selling 1,229 shares and retaining 141,010 shares valued at about $121.6 million (roughly 1.6% of the firm's holdings, its 16th largest position).
• Several large institutions sharply increased positions—e.g., Assenagon (+1,586.8%), Amundi (+45%), Voloridge (+112%)—lifting institutional ownership to about 68.48%, while Costco reported strong fundamentals with March sales up ~11.3% and a quarterly EPS beat.
• Despite positive sales and some broker price-target raises, valuation concerns (P/E ≈52) and recent insider selling coincided with the stock falling ~3.3%; Costco’s market cap is about $443 billion and it pays a $1.30 quarterly dividend (≈0.5% yield).

Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,010 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,229 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.6% of Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $121,599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of COST. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer's stock worth $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 112.2% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer's stock worth $441,919,000 after purchasing an additional 252,453 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 638.7% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 227,310 shares of the retailer's stock worth $225,023,000 after purchasing an additional 196,537 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 55.0% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 490,871 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $485,933,000 after acquiring an additional 174,082 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: March sales beat and traffic strength — Costco reported March net sales up ~11.3% to $28.41B with strong comps and digital growth, reinforcing momentum in membership, transactions and fuel-driven traffic. This is the main fundamental bullish catalyst supporting higher estimates for revenue and same-store sales. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrades / price-target raises — Deutsche Bank, Telsey and Wells Fargo raised price targets (Deutsche to $1,104; Telsey to $1,135; Wells Fargo to $1,000), providing analyst support that can underpin upside in the shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile media/catalyst mentions — Jim Cramer highlighted two operational catalysts (e.g., fuel pricing and other retailer advantages), and viral consumer interest in Costco’s one-ounce gold bars and popular product finds is boosting brand visibility and short-term revenue upside. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reiterates Neutral at $1,000 — the firm reaffirmed a neutral view with a target essentially in line with the stock’s level, suggesting limited near-term upside from that shop. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and retail write-ups continue to praise Costco’s long-term thesis — several outlets (The Motley Fool, Zacks, Yahoo lifestyle pieces) published favorable takes on Costco’s moat and product wins; these support sentiment but are longer‑term confirmation rather than immediate catalysts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data shows no meaningful build — reported short interest was effectively zero in the latest snapshot, so short-covering or squeeze dynamics are not a near-term driver. (likely data/formatting artifact)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns — several analysts and commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha, some sell-side notes) argue Costco’s premium multiple (~50x) is hard to justify, which can cap upside and prompt profit-taking after the sales beat. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Macro / headline-driven risk — broader market weakness (S&P futures reacting to geopolitical headlines) likely weighed on retail and large-cap retailers today and may have triggered sector-wide selling pressure that offset Costco’s positive sales print. Article Title

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $3,416,416. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $998.47 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $995.50 and a 200 day moving average of $942.88. The firm has a market cap of $442.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.92, a PEG ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.99. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. Costco Wholesale's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 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, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 20th. Gordon Haskett upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,043.13.

Costco Wholesale 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.

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