Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock: LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Increases Position

Key Points

• LaFleur & Godfrey LLC increased its Costco position by 1,588.6% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 6,231 shares valued at approximately $5.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.48% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 25 Buy ratings, eight Holds and one Sell; Costco has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $1,086.19.
• Costco exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $6.75 in EPS and $95.72 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 11.1% year over year. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, though its 0.6% yield is modest relative to the stock’s elevated valuation.

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 1,588.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,231 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,862 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,672,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer's stock worth $200,372,000 after acquiring an additional 13,795 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $16,013,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $148,193,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the last quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $64,325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,766 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $21,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, October 21st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $1,050.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 28th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $1,125.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $982.73 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $940.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $969.55. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $435.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $95.72 billion for 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.87 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded its healthcare offering through a NationsBenefits partnership, allowing members to redeem eligible benefits in real time at checkout across more than 600 U.S. warehouses. The initiative could increase member engagement, convenience and store traffic while supporting Costco’s growing healthcare business. Costco brings real-time health benefit checkouts to more than 600 stores
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer opened a new warehouse in Western New York, adding capacity and reinforcing its long-term strategy of expanding its membership base and geographic footprint. Costco opens its doors in Western New York
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Costco’s fifth consecutive earnings beat, strong pharmacy growth and improving digital conversions, including gains from AI-powered website search. Analysts also point to improving technical momentum heading into November. Costco momentum is improving heading into November
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotional offers providing new Gold Star members with a $45 digital Costco Shop Card for a $65 membership may help attract sign-ups, although the near-term effect on revenue and margins is unclear. New Costco Gold Star membership promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term investment commentary remains broadly bullish, with Costco viewed as a defensive compounder and a potential healthcare or Medicare disrupter. However, these are forward-looking theses rather than new financial guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to question Costco’s valuation near $1,000 per share, arguing that its premium multiple already reflects substantial growth. Expensive valuation and mixed macroeconomic conditions could pressure the stock if sales or margins merely meet expectations. Costco valuation remains a head scratcher
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of COST, creating modest technical pressure. Separately, Costco withdrew an application for a proposed Idaho warehouse, highlighting that expansion plans can face local or regulatory setbacks. Costco sees net ETF selling
• Negative Sentiment: The upcoming $1.47 dividend offers a relatively low yield at Costco’s current share price, limiting its appeal to income-focused investors and reducing support from dividend-driven buying.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.

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