Park Avenue Securities LLC lessened its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) by 21.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,949 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,154 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $874,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,444 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,700,000 after purchasing an additional 7,116 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $2,781,000. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.9% during the second quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA now owns 18,132 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $17,950,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Costco is keeping fuel prices low with a deliberate pricing strategy to stay cheaper than competitors, which can drive continued traffic and membership value. As Gas Prices Soar, Costco’s Using This Smart Strategy To Stay Cheaper Than Most
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive: consensus ratings across brokerages show a majority buy/moderate-buy stance, supporting investor confidence. Costco Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts
- Positive Sentiment: Costco upgraded its retail-media platform, a potential new ad-revenue stream that can boost margins over time. Costco upgrades its retail media platform
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish write-ups (seeking-alpha coverage and long-term valuation defenses) are reinforcing the narrative that Costco’s membership model and pricing power can sustain outperformance. Costco: A Likely Outperformer Based On The Business Model
- Neutral Sentiment: CEO Ron Vachris addressed questions about the $1.50 hot dog combo, offering clarity to a vocal part of Costco’s brand/PR — removes a potential source of uncertainty but has limited direct earnings impact. Costco CEO gives update on future of $1.50 hot dog and soda combo
- Neutral Sentiment: Costco added new Kirkland Signature items (and launched a private-label refrigerated dog food), moves that can deepen margins and member loyalty but may take time to scale. Costco adds Kirkland Signature items
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage and investor-interest pieces (Zacks, Yahoo, TipRanks) are drawing attention to COST, which can amplify trading activity but not necessarily change fundamentals. Costco is Attracting Investor Attention
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk: COST trades at a premium (P/E around 50x), leaving limited room for error if same-store sales or margin expansion disappoint — this makes the stock sensitive to any weaker-than-expected data.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on COST
Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3%
NASDAQ:COST opened at $972.33 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $984.26 and its 200-day moving average is $938.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08. The firm has a market cap of $431.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 1.01.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.
Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.04%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,148,060. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
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.
See Also
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