Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Increased by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. more than doubled its Costco stake to 11,216 shares, valued at approximately $10.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.48% of Costco’s outstanding shares.
• Costco reported strong operating momentum, with quarterly revenue up 11.1% year over year and EPS of $6.75 beating estimates; September net sales rose 13% to $30.02 billion, while digitally enabled sales increased 19%.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $1,046.27, though Costco’s roughly 46 P/E ratio highlights valuation risk.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 114.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,216 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,989 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $10,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 5,749,362 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.5% during the 1st 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 period. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,328,729 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,732,836,000 after acquiring an additional 143,150 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was 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 owned 7,134 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion for the five-week period ended October 4, up 13% year over year. Digitally enabled sales increased 19%, suggesting strong member engagement and continued momentum in e-commerce and delivery. September sales and digital growth article
• Positive Sentiment: The membership model continues to attract younger shoppers, while Costco’s value-focused pricing is helping it compete for consumers seeking savings. This supports recurring membership revenue and long-term traffic growth. Costco gaining younger members article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco received early approval from a Florida city council for a new warehouse, supporting the company’s expansion strategy and future membership capacity. A proposed West Oakland location could also create hundreds of jobs. Florida Costco store approval article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group modestly raised their FY2027 EPS forecast to $22.80 and project $25.01 for FY2028, above the current-year consensus of $22.85, indicating expectations for continued earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s approximately $21.3 billion liquidity cushion, manageable debt and strong cash flow provide financial flexibility for warehouse openings, technology investments and shareholder returns. Costco balance sheet article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some September sales growth benefited from elevated gasoline prices, which increase reported fuel revenue. If gas prices decline, the headline growth rate could moderate even if underlying merchandise demand remains healthy. Cheaper gas impact article
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 46 times earnings, COST trades at a substantial premium to the broader market. The 10-year Treasury yield near 5.2% also offers materially higher income than Costco’s dividend, increasing the risk that investors view the stock as expensive despite strong fundamentals.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $954.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $423.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock's 50-day moving average is $930.95 and its 200-day moving average is $963.12. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during 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 quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.87 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of several research reports. HSBC raised Costco Wholesale to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,175.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Roth Capital restated a "sell" rating and set a $781.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,160.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,046.27.

About Costco Wholesale

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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