Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $53.74 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Wealthfront Advisers LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,059 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,849 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $53,741,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 72.0% in the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Gordon Haskett increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. Twenty-one equities 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,007.42.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total value of $1,776,913.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. The trade was a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $997.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $442.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.43, a P/E/G ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $916.32 and a 200 day moving average of $930.88. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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