Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock: Brighton Jones LLC Reduces Stake

Brighton Jones LLC cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,958 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,707 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $21,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sarasin & Partners LLP raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% in the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $200,372,000 after buying an additional 13,795 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth about $16,013,000. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.1% during the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $148,193,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the last quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.0% during the second quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $64,325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signal Advisors Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 97.0% during the third quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC now owns 3,531 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,739 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,230.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 28th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,090.55.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,964,701.74. This represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported October net sales of $24.50 billion, up 12.6% year over year. U.S. comparable sales rose 8.1% excluding gasoline-price changes, while digital growth also accelerated—evidence of continued customer demand. Costco’s October Net Sales Jump 12.6% as Digital Growth Accelerates
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $1,150 from $1,015 and maintained an overweight rating. Bank of America also kept its buy rating following the stronger U.S. comparable-sales results. JPMorgan price-target update Costco retains BofA buy as October U.S. comps rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage points to solid share-price momentum, supported by a string of earnings beats, but investors may be watching whether earnings growth can justify the stock’s valuation. Costco Stock: Earnings Growth Could Shape the Next Big Move
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a key risk: reports cite a trailing P/E near 49, leaving limited room for disappointment, while earnings revisions have raised concerns. Citi maintained a hold rating with a $1,020 target, reflecting a more cautious view than JPMorgan’s. Costco Stock: Why Analysts Are Split Despite Strong October Sales

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST opened at $1,053.56 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $952.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $972.49. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $466.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.85.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.87 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.32%.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally low prices. Its products include groceries, fresh foods, appliances, electronics, apparel, furniture, and household goods, as well as its Kirkland Signature private-label line.

The company also provides services such as gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical and hearing-aid centers, food courts, and travel offerings. Costco serves members through warehouses and online channels.

Founded in 1983 in Seattle, Costco has expanded across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.