Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Position Cut by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 551,080 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 119,224 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.12% of Costco Wholesale worth $467,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of COST. Sarasin & Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $200,372,000 after buying an additional 13,795 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer's stock worth $148,193,000 after buying an additional 6,200 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $16,013,000. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.0% during the second quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer's stock worth $64,325,000 after buying an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 15.0% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,766 shares of the retailer's stock worth $21,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Costco Wholesale from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,087.40.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. The trade was a 23.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $978.01 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $433.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The company's 50-day moving average price is $932.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $963.09.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.87 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major price-target increase: Tigress Financial raised its COST price target from $1,065 to $1,250 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying substantial potential upside. Costco analyst price target report
• Positive Sentiment: Strong operating momentum: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year, while digitally enabled sales increased 19%. The results support the strength of its membership model and e-commerce business. Costco September sales report
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive positioning: Higher-than-expected inflation has encouraged investors to favor retailers selling essential goods. Costco benefited from this rotation alongside Walmart and Target. Retail defensive-sector rotation
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and expansion: Costco declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share, payable November 13. Proposed new warehouses in Oakland and Merced County also point to continued long-term store expansion. Costco dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to expect earnings growth, with one estimate for fiscal 2027 EPS raised to $22.80. However, commentary describing COST as a portfolio-risk amplifier suggests investors remain focused on its correlation with the broader market and premium valuation. Costco market risk analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and insider selling: Costco trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving the stock vulnerable to disappointment in membership, sales or consumer spending trends. Separately, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares worth approximately $1.05 million, reducing his position by 26.23%. Costco insider sale report

Costco Wholesale 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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