Fort Point Capital Partners LLC Sells 2,365 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Fort Point Capital Partners reduced its stake by 69.4%, selling 2,365 Costco shares in the quarter and leaving it with 1,043 shares (worth $965,000); insiders also sold 7,645 shares in the last quarter, leaving insider ownership at just 0.10%.
• Costco posted an FQ2 beat (revenue $69.6B, EPS $4.58) with membership growth and in‑warehouse initiatives driving momentum, and analysts have lifted targets—consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $1,039.13.
• Tariff‑refund lawsuits alleging Costco must pass refunds to customers pose a legal overhang, creating potential liability and headline risk until outcomes or government refunds are clarified.

Fort Point Capital Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 69.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,043 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,365 shares during the period. Fort Point Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,364,888,000 after buying an additional 1,377,328 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on COST. Gordon Haskett increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and membership strength: Costco reported stronger-than-expected FQ2 results (revenue and EPS beats) and management highlighted membership growth and traffic as key drivers, underpinning confidence in recurring fee income and sales momentum. Costco Reports $68.24B FQ2 Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Membership mix and premium sign‑ups: Executive membership growth (near 40M members, +~9%) supports higher-margin recurring fee income and may sustain revenue per member. This is a structural tailwind for margins and cash flow. Is a $130 Costco executive membership the new VIP status?
• Positive Sentiment: In‑warehouse innovation and product drops: Expanded in‑warehouse experiences, curated product drops (e.g., fashion/brand collaborations) and new assortments (including third‑party brands like Hiboy e‑bikes) are helping traffic and impulse sales. Costco Expands In‑Warehouse Experiences Hiboy C1 E‑Bike Lands at Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Digital growth and traffic resilience: Management says digital sales and e‑commerce expansion remain contributors to growth, but macro headwinds (e.g., energy-driven pressure on discretionary budgets) add uncertainty to near‑term sales cadence. Costco Says Shoppers Are Still Spending Rising gas prices could offset tax refunds
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale: An EVP disclosed a sale of ~730 shares; the size is immaterial relative to Costco’s market cap and does not signal a clear change in insider confidence. Executive Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff‑refund lawsuits create legal overhang: Multiple proposed class‑action suits allege Costco must pass along refunds to customers after the Supreme Court struck down certain Trump‑era tariffs; plaintiffs seek substantial recoveries and class status, introducing potential liability, administrative burden and PR risk until resolved. Reuters: Costco customers sue
• Negative Sentiment: Complex legal landscape: Coverage notes the situation is “messy” — Costco has also pursued government action to recover tariff amounts, but parallel suits against the company could keep volatility and headline risk elevated until legal outcomes and any government refunds are clarified. Barron's: Tariff refunds are getting messy

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,008.43 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The company has a market capitalization of $447.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $975.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $937.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.04%.

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.

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