Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Bought by Orange Investment Advisors Inc.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 250.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,242 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,318 shares during the quarter. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,951,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 107.7% during the 3rd quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 27 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Burk Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,091.00 to $1,079.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,086.19.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president 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. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction 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 approximately $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,003.32 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $444.60 billion, a PE ratio of 48.33, a PEG ratio of 4.29 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 fifty day simple moving average of $937.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $962.82.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.87 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains strong. CICC initiated coverage with an Outperform rating, while Tigress Financial raised its price target to $1,250. Erste Group also increased its FY2028 EPS estimate to $25.07 from $25.01, above the current-year consensus estimate of $22.70. CICC coverage article Tigress Financial price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Growth and customer engagement remain key positives. Costco’s membership model has delivered substantial long-term shareholder returns, and the company is reportedly using purchasing data to better target high-spending members. REJURAN Cosmetics is also expanding through Costco’s first Beauty Table program, potentially adding traffic and broadening its premium beauty offering. Costco customer spending article REJURAN retail expansion article
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term growth screens are favorable, and analysts’ average recommendation is equivalent to a Buy. However, these reports largely reiterate existing optimism rather than provide a new earnings catalyst. Zacks growth stock article
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and competition remain concerns. Costco trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving the stock sensitive to profit-taking or disappointing growth. Kroger is planning major investments and price cuts to win back market share from Costco and Walmart, which could intensify grocery competition and pressure margins. Kroger competition article

Costco Wholesale 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.