Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 23.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,895 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,504 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,692,035,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 418,980.3% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 2,359,422 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,335,686,000 after buying an additional 2,358,859 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,364,888,000 after buying an additional 1,377,328 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total transaction of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total value of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $8,792,849.10. This trade represents a 5.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Hovde Group started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $994.08.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $875.74 on Tuesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $893.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $933.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $388.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.91, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.02.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Key Stores Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and talk of a possible special dividend lifted sentiment; upgrades typically support near-term buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recommended as a long-term growth hold (20-year thesis) by The Motley Fool, reinforcing buy-and-hold narratives that can support valuation over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight Costco’s digital ecosystem (e‑commerce, AI, same‑day delivery) as a growing driver of member engagement and sales, which supports revenue diversification and margin upside longer term. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting new store openings and consumer interest (e.g., Roseville store schedule, shopping features) is operationally positive but likely low-impact on immediate stock moves. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and TV coverage (Jim Cramer) are keeping the name in focus; useful for flows but not a decisive fundamental change. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several pieces warn about sluggish sales and membership growth and say valuation remains hard to justify — these concerns can limit upside until growth reaccelerates. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks’ more pessimistic note on Q2 earnings expectations highlights downside risk to near-term estimates and could pressure the stock if guidance or results disappoint. Article Title

Costco Wholesale Company 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.