Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by First National Trust Co

First National Trust Co cut its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,916 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,104 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $13,807,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 72.0% during the second quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded COST to “overweight” and raised its price target to $1,050, signaling analyst confidence and providing upside to the stock. JPMorgan raises COST price target to $1,050
• Positive Sentiment: January sales and Costco’s value proposition (pricing, private label, e-commerce + warehouse footprint) are being flagged as drivers for continued traffic and revenue growth — a bullish operational read-through for 2026. Is Costco’s January Sales Surge Fueling a Bigger 2026 Rally?
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding its Instacart partnership in Europe, which can boost e-commerce volume and improve cross-border growth optionality. Costco Expands Instacart In Europe As Valuation Stays Above Fair Value
• Positive Sentiment: Company expansion plans, including a proposed 20-store strategy in Australia, support long-term member and sales growth in a relatively underpenetrated market. Can anyone compete with Costco’s 20-store plan?
• Positive Sentiment: An institutional buyer, RFG Advisory LLC, modestly increased its Costco stake, a small signal of continued investor interest. Costco Shares Purchased by RFG Advisory LLC
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reiterated a “Neutral” rating on COST, which may temper near-term momentum from upgrades. DA Davidson reiterates Neutral on COST
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple media pieces are debating whether the 15% year-to-date rise makes Costco a buy — helpful for retail interest but largely reiterative analysis rather than new company-specific catalysts. Costco Stock Is Up 15% This Year. Time to Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary highlights valuation as a risk — Costco’s premium P/E and elevated multiple relative to growth could limit upside unless top-line acceleration and margin expansion persist. Valuation watch: Is COST expensive?

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total value of $1,776,913.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% 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 three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on COST. Hovde Group started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. HSBC cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,007.42.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $997.59 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $916.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $930.88. The stock has a market cap of $442.80 billion, a PE ratio of 53.43, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued 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 return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

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.