Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Purchased by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings boosted its stake in Costco by 7.8% in Q3, buying 1,836 shares to hold 25,383 shares valued at about $23.5 million, and institutional investors now own 68.48% of the company.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares at $955 and EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares at $862.89 — with insiders offloading 6,915 shares (~$6.32M) over the past three months (insiders own 0.10%).
• Analysts rate Costco a Moderate Buy (22 Buys, 13 Holds, 1 Sell) with an average price target of $1,016.18, and the upcoming Q2 earnings (after the close on March 5) is the main near-term catalyst where another beat is expected.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,383 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,836 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $23,495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Busey Bank increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the third quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Tandem Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer's stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the third quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,792,849.10. This trade represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Roth Mkm reissued a "sell" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,155.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,016.18.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,006.74 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $446.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. The company's fifty day moving average price is $956.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $935.59.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.04 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Upcoming Q2 earnings after the close on March 5 — analysts expect another beat and technical indicators are bullish, making the report the main near-term catalyst for the stock. Should You Buy Costco Stock (COST) ahead of Q2 Earnings?
• Positive Sentiment: Preview commentary and data point to another strong quarter (monthly sales and membership trends), and analysts note a chance Costco can highlight favorable effects from the recent tariff ruling. Costco Q2 Preview: Will Retailer Celebrate Tariff Ruling?
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media and analyst attention (predictions of a post-earnings surge, momentum stories) are keeping investor interest and buying interest elevated ahead of the print. Prediction: Costco Will Surge After March 5th
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing expansion: multiple new-store openings and large real-estate deals (e.g., Viva White Oak) support long-term growth and membership roll-ups. Costco signs on for Viva White Oak project in Montgomery County
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate: coverage questions whether COST has “run too far” after strong YTD gains — this raises profit-taking risk even if fundamentals remain healthy. Has Costco Wholesale (COST) Run Too Far?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst deep-dives and metric-level previews (Zacks, MarketBeat) are setting expectations for comps, traffic and membership metrics — useful for trading around the print but not directional until results land. Curious about Costco (COST) Q2 Performance?
• Negative Sentiment: Customer/PR noise and policy confusion (return policy coverage) could create short-term reputation headwinds and modest consumer pushback. Costco members confused over return policy rule
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data posted in some feeds is inconsistent/zeroed and is not a reliable current signal for days-to-cover or directional pressure. (Ignore noisy short-interest entries until cleaner data is released.)

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.