Howard Capital Management Inc. Purchases 7,573 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 39,282 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,573 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.4% of Howard Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $36,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peterson Wealth Services grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,616 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,479,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.5% during the second quarter. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI now owns 16,888 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $16,718,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $874,000. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% in the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,640,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding same‑day delivery across Europe (Paris to Madrid), which supports international growth and services-led revenue expansion. Costco Stock (COST) has no Joie de Vivre Despite Expanding Services to Paris and Madrid
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains generally favorable (average “Moderate Buy” / bullish writeups), offering support amid near‑term volatility. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco continues product and membership promotions (Kirkland x Nike SB Dunk release, Gold Star membership digital shop card) that boost customer engagement but are unlikely to move near‑term results materially. Costco and Nike released the Kirkland x Nike SB Dunk shoes. Are they worth it? This Costco Gold Star Membership gets you a $20 Digital Costco Shop Card*
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains rich (high P/E relative to peers), which can amplify reactions to news and weighs on upside in a risk‑off session. (Background market data)
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed class‑action accuses Costco of misleading customers by marketing its rotisserie chicken as having “no preservatives.” Legal risk and reputation headlines are the clearest short‑term negative catalyst. Costco Is Sued Over Preservatives in Its $5 Rotisserie Chickens Costco sued over ‘no preservatives’ claims
• Negative Sentiment: Some fund activity shows minor trimming of positions (e.g., Alpha Cubed Investments sold shares), which can add to downward pressure in a smaller‑volume selloff. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Trims Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,315 shares of company stock valued at $8,549,409 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $900.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 19th. Hovde Group began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 22nd. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $940.25 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $906.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $929.59. The stock has a market cap of $417.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm earned $4.04 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.85%.

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.