Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Park National Corp OH

Key Points

• Park National Corp OH reduced its Costco stake by 9.6% in the third quarter, selling 3,516 shares and retaining 33,235 shares valued at approximately $30.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.48% of Costco.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 22 Buy, 10 Hold, and one Sell rating, producing a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $1,046.27.
• Costco reported quarterly EPS of $6.75 and revenue of $95.72 billion, exceeding estimates, while revenue increased 11.1% year over year. The shares recently traded at $924.35, with a market capitalization of about $409.9 billion and a dividend yield of 0.6%.

Park National Corp OH lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,235 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 3,516 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $30,255,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $1,020.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $781.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,046.27.

Insider Activity 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 shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST traded up $3.70 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $924.35. 701,622 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,192,924. The stock has a market cap of $409.93 billion, a PE ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $932.76 and a 200-day moving average of $964.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. The firm 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%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong momentum and fundamentals: Zacks ranks COST among its top momentum stocks. Recent results also showed earnings and revenue above expectations, while fiscal 2026 revenue rose 8.1% to $276.4 billion, membership-fee revenue reached $5.3 billion, and return on invested capital exceeded 28%. Zacks momentum analysis Insider Monkey fundamentals analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation remains a key support: Costco generated approximately $9.39 billion in fiscal 2026 free cash flow, reinforcing its ability to fund expansion, dividends, and occasional special dividends. TIKR free cash flow analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion and member appeal: A newly opened Kansas City-area warehouse attracted strong customer traffic, while new member perks could support retention and spending. Analysts also see Costco’s pricing and value proposition as a competitive advantage over traditional grocery chains. Kansas City warehouse opening Costco member perks
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalyst: Costco is scheduled to report September sales after the market closes on October 7. The report will indicate whether recent moderation in comparable sales is temporary or becoming a broader trend.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: One analysis downgraded COST, arguing that much of its future growth may already be reflected in the share price. Another estimated the stock could be roughly 17% overvalued following recent digital-sales developments. Seeking Alpha rating downgrade Yahoo Finance valuation analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Comparable-sales growth has slowed: Excluding gasoline and foreign-exchange effects, growth declined from 8% in May to 5.4% in August for three consecutive months, increasing the importance of the September update. Costco comparable-sales report

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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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