Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Cannell & Spears LLC

Cannell & Spears LLC reduced its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 52,311 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,093 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.9% of Cannell & Spears LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Cannell & Spears LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $48,421,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after purchasing an additional 90,107 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after purchasing an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Hovde Group started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,115.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.5%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,008.43 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $975.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $937.14. The company has a market capitalization of $447.61 billion, a PE ratio of 52.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s 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.