Comerica Bank Sells 7,092 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Comerica Bank trimmed its Costco stake by 5.6%, selling 7,092 shares in Q3 and now holds 119,237 shares valued at about $110.37 million.
• Operational momentum: Costco reported an FQ2 revenue and EPS beat driven by membership growth and traffic, and several analysts have raised price targets, leaving the stock with a "Moderate Buy" consensus.
• Legal overhang: Multiple proposed class‑action suits seeking tariff refunds introduce potential liability and headline risk for Costco until legal outcomes and any government refunds are clarified.

Comerica Bank lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 119,237 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 7,092 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $110,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer's stock worth $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,141,062,000 after purchasing an additional 90,107 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth approximately $5,692,035,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after buying an additional 34,826 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and membership strength: Costco reported stronger-than-expected FQ2 results (revenue and EPS beats) and management highlighted membership growth and traffic as key drivers, underpinning confidence in recurring fee income and sales momentum. Costco Reports $68.24B FQ2 Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Membership mix and premium sign‑ups: Executive membership growth (near 40M members, +~9%) supports higher-margin recurring fee income and may sustain revenue per member. This is a structural tailwind for margins and cash flow. Is a $130 Costco executive membership the new VIP status?
• Positive Sentiment: In‑warehouse innovation and product drops: Expanded in‑warehouse experiences, curated product drops (e.g., fashion/brand collaborations) and new assortments (including third‑party brands like Hiboy e‑bikes) are helping traffic and impulse sales. Costco Expands In‑Warehouse Experiences Hiboy C1 E‑Bike Lands at Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Digital growth and traffic resilience: Management says digital sales and e‑commerce expansion remain contributors to growth, but macro headwinds (e.g., energy-driven pressure on discretionary budgets) add uncertainty to near‑term sales cadence. Costco Says Shoppers Are Still Spending Rising gas prices could offset tax refunds
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale: An EVP disclosed a sale of ~730 shares; the size is immaterial relative to Costco’s market cap and does not signal a clear change in insider confidence. Executive Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff‑refund lawsuits create legal overhang: Multiple proposed class‑action suits allege Costco must pass along refunds to customers after the Supreme Court struck down certain Trump‑era tariffs; plaintiffs seek substantial recoveries and class status, introducing potential liability, administrative burden and PR risk until resolved. Reuters: Costco customers sue
• Negative Sentiment: Complex legal landscape: Coverage notes the situation is “messy” — Costco has also pursued government action to recover tariff amounts, but parallel suits against the company could keep volatility and headline risk elevated until legal outcomes and any government refunds are clarified. Barron's: Tariff refunds are getting messy

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.5%

COST opened at $1,008.43 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $447.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 1.01. 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 twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $975.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $937.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 27.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Gordon Haskett increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,039.13.

About Costco Wholesale

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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