Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC Purchases 3,507 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Key Points

• Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC increased its Costco stake by 57.7% in the third quarter, purchasing 3,507 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 9,590 shares valued at approximately $8.73 million. Institutional investors collectively own 68.48% of Costco.
• Costco reported strong operating momentum, including 12.5% U.S. comparable-sales growth, 6.3% growth in Canada, 10.8% growth internationally, and approximately 19% digital-sales growth. However, some of the headline gains reflected higher gasoline prices, while the stock’s roughly 45.7 P/E ratio leaves it sensitive to any slowdown.
• Costco shares opened at $947.92, while analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” rating with a consensus price target of $1,046.27. Separately, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares for about $2.02 million, reducing her position by 23.57%.

Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 57.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,590 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the quarter. Galvin Gaustad & Stein LLC's holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $8,730,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Davis Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Davis Capital Management now owns 1,884 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 51.1% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 41,594 shares of the retailer's stock worth $37,865,000 after purchasing an additional 14,058 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 39.3% during the third quarter. Meadowbrook Wealth Management LLC now owns 397 shares of the retailer's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 44.0% in the third quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 104,853 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $95,452,000 after buying an additional 32,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 23.1% in the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 6,297 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $5,732,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong customer traffic and transaction growth supported broad-based comparable-sales gains. U.S. comparable sales increased 12.5%, Canada rose 6.3%, and other international markets gained 10.8%, offering evidence that Costco’s membership model continues to attract shoppers. Costco sales rise in September as strong traffic drives start to fiscal 2027
• Positive Sentiment: Digital sales grew approximately 19%, adding another growth channel and strengthening expectations for a solid start to fiscal 2027. The report also supports the view that Costco’s international operations remain an important contributor to future revenue growth. Costco's September Sales Rise 13% on Strong Comps, Digital Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are paying a premium for this consistency: COST trades at roughly 45 times trailing earnings. The valuation reflects expectations for years of continued growth, leaving the stock particularly sensitive to any slowdown in traffic, memberships, or margins. What Are Costco Investors Betting On?
• Negative Sentiment: Some of the headline sales strength came from higher gasoline prices and other potentially lower-margin or one-time effects. Analysts therefore caution that the underlying 7.6% increase, while healthy, is less dramatic than the 13% reported-sales gain. Costco's Sales Rebound in September Looks Great on Paper. Why There's More to the Story.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $947.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $420.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $930.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $963.49. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $1,230.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on 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. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,046.27.

About Costco Wholesale

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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