B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Posted by ABMN Staff on Jan 26th, 2026

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) by 19.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,113 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,997 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of COST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after buying an additional 90,107 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,124,263,000 after buying an additional 150,844 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $983.25 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The firm has a market cap of $436.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.66, a PEG ratio of 5.89 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. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $900.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $929.44.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409 over the last quarter. Corporate 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: Analysts expect Costco to report strong fiscal Q2 results, with previews calling for double-digit profit growth — investors view this as confirmation of resilient demand and margin stability. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Costco Wholesale’s Report
Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst pieces argue Costco remains a buy for 2026 and beyond, emphasizing membership retention, steady sales/profit growth and defensive consumer-staples characteristics. This supportive coverage helps underpin the rally. Is Costco Stock a Buy in 2026?
Positive Sentiment: Costco’s membership perks continue to be a strategic growth lever — coverage highlights a past controversial perk and four new 2026 benefits aimed at boosting member value and retention, which supports long-term revenue visibility. Costco Introduced a Controversial Perk Last Year — and It Plans to Follow This Up With 4 New Benefits in 2026
Positive Sentiment: Operational/UX improvements: reporting says Costco is adopting a tech upgrade used by competitors to improve the member experience — a potential driver of basket size and visit frequency. Costco borrows tech upgrade from competitor to boost member experience
Neutral Sentiment: Retail buzz and product-level popularity (popular Costco finds, wholesale flowers) are helping brand engagement but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. ‘I’ve Been Using This Stuff Every Day For About 2 Years’
Neutral Sentiment: Trading/technical interest: a pattern-trade roundup lists Costco as a top seasonal idea (speculative short‑term upside), which can attract momentum traders but isn’t a fundamental endorsement. 5 Best Pattern Trades for This Quarter
Negative Sentiment: Bearish/critical takes: Seeking Alpha published pieces urging caution or a sell-the-rally stance, arguing the strong start may be short‑lived — these raise concerns about near-term momentum and give some investors reason to lock in gains. Costco: Strong Start To 2026 Likely Short-Lived
Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions: coverage assessing Costco’s rich P/E highlights risk that upside is limited unless earnings justify the premium — a key watch for longer‑term investors. Assessing Whether Costco Wholesale (COST) Deserves Its Rich P/E
Negative Sentiment: Minor insider activity: a disclosed sale of 458 shares by an executive may be viewed as a small negative signal, though the sale size is immaterial relative to the company’s scale. Susan Decker Sells 458 Shares of Costco Wholesale

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $900.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

View Our Latest Analysis on Costco Wholesale

About Costco Wholesale

(Free Report)

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.