Harbor Investment Advisory LLC Boosts Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 19.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,882 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,097 shares during the quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $6,371,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 159 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% during the second quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the second quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Busey Bank lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pasadena Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.0%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $943.08 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.51, a P/E/G ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $892.88 and its 200-day simple moving average is $930.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 10,446 shares of company stock worth $9,549,528 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Hovde Group began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgrade — Mizuho moved COST to its top-picks list and upgraded the stock to Outperform, raising its price target (cited as $1,000 in coverage), which supports buying interest from institutional and retail investors. Costco (COST) Added to Mizuho Top Picks After Pullback
• Positive Sentiment: Sales acceleration — Recent reporting highlights that two key Costco sales metrics have accelerated, a development investors like because it points to continued membership spending and top-line momentum. 2 Key Costco Sales Metrics Just Accelerated, and Investors Love It
• Positive Sentiment: Card perk added — Costco quietly added a meaningful credit-card perk, which can boost transaction volume and member loyalty (positive for same-store sales and margins over time). Costco quietly added a major credit card perk
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing expansion — Multiple local reports show new warehouse builds and store openings (e.g., Camarillo construction visible; plans in South Los Angeles and Dallas), underscoring continued footprint growth that supports revenue and membership expansion. Costco Camarillo warehouse and gas station construction now visible at site
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term analyst/features — Several opinion pieces and comparative write-ups (Where Will Costco Be in 5 Years?; Costco vs. Home Depot) reiterate Costco’s strong long-term track record but do not introduce new catalysts. These items support the bull case but are not immediate drivers. Where Will Costco Be in 5 Years?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data glitch — A report flagged a “significant increase” in short interest but shows zero shares and a zero days-to-cover figure, indicating a likely data error rather than a market pressure signal. Investors should treat short-interest headlines cautiously until clarified. (Data source: market summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares (disclosed SEC Form 4), reducing his holding by ~15.4% in that transaction; insider sales can be read negatively by some investors even when small relative to total holdings. SEC filing — Form 4 (Russell D. Miller)

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.