Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. Acquires 1,191 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Sigma Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,996 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,191 shares during the period. Sigma Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 107.7% in the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 27 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Burk Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, John Boyer Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,015.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Freedom Broker lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,030.00 to $1,010.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,160.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,144.00 to $1,143.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,086.19.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% 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 corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.9%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $982.73 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $940.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $969.55. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $435.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.87 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded its healthcare offering through a NationsBenefits partnership, allowing members to redeem eligible benefits in real time at checkout across more than 600 U.S. warehouses. The initiative could increase member engagement, convenience and store traffic while supporting Costco’s growing healthcare business. Costco brings real-time health benefit checkouts to more than 600 stores
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer opened a new warehouse in Western New York, adding capacity and reinforcing its long-term strategy of expanding its membership base and geographic footprint. Costco opens its doors in Western New York
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Costco’s fifth consecutive earnings beat, strong pharmacy growth and improving digital conversions, including gains from AI-powered website search. Analysts also point to improving technical momentum heading into November. Costco momentum is improving heading into November
• Neutral Sentiment: Promotional offers providing new Gold Star members with a $45 digital Costco Shop Card for a $65 membership may help attract sign-ups, although the near-term effect on revenue and margins is unclear. New Costco Gold Star membership promotion
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term investment commentary remains broadly bullish, with Costco viewed as a defensive compounder and a potential healthcare or Medicare disrupter. However, these are forward-looking theses rather than new financial guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to question Costco’s valuation near $1,000 per share, arguing that its premium multiple already reflects substantial growth. Expensive valuation and mixed macroeconomic conditions could pressure the stock if sales or margins merely meet expectations. Costco valuation remains a head scratcher
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of COST, creating modest technical pressure. Separately, Costco withdrew an application for a proposed Idaho warehouse, highlighting that expansion plans can face local or regulatory setbacks. Costco sees net ETF selling
• Negative Sentiment: The upcoming $1.47 dividend offers a relatively low yield at Costco’s current share price, limiting its appeal to income-focused investors and reducing support from dividend-driven buying.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.