Candriam S.C.A. Sells 3,424 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 49,442 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,424 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $45,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Soundwatch Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% in the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during 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: Management’s January sales report showed solid comp growth and digital strength, which traders have credited for recent upside in COST. Costco Stock Rallies On Strong January Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $1,100 and kept an Outperform rating — a bullish signal that increases upside expectations from Wall Street. Oppenheimer adjusts PT on Costco Wholesale
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho also lifted its target (to $1,065) and kept an Outperform rating, citing rebounding membership trends — supportive for longer-term revenue and renewal visibility. Mizuho Raises Costco Target as Membership Trends Rebound
• Positive Sentiment: Macro flows: BofA flagged record inflows into consumer staples amid a tech selloff, helping defensive retailers like Costco attract demand. Walmart, Costco, XLP Surge As BofA Flags Record Inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion and membership initiatives (Cam arillo opening timeline; moves to fix membership issues) support continued sales growth and member retention. Costco Camarillo gets opening timeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed: Wells Fargo raised its PT to $950 but keeps an Equal Weight, and DA Davidson reiterated a Neutral rating with a $1,000 target — results in varied near-term views. Wells Fargo raises PT on Costco DA Davidson reaffirms neutral
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data posted today is effectively zero/invalid (no actionable change), so it isn’t driving price action. (Entry shows 0 shares and NaN increase.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer-interest pieces and product buzz (e.g., viral food items, product availability lists) are getting social attention but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Costco cookie cake reactions
• Negative Sentiment: Roth MKM and some cautious analysts warn about a possible stockpiling reversal (inventory normalization) that could slow comps in February — a risk investors are watching. Costco stock climbs after strong January sales (blockonomi)
• Negative Sentiment: Jim Cramer and others flagged that Costco has been selling discounted luxury items in Chinese warehouses — an oddity that raises questions about merchandising controls and brand perception overseas. Jim Cramer on discounted Hermès Birkin items

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,006.19.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,001.16 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $914.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $930.44. The firm has a market cap of $444.38 billion, a PE ratio of 53.62, a PEG ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.01. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.