Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stake Boosted by AlTi Global Inc.

AlTi Global Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 55.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,661 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares during the period. AlTi Global Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the second quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Graney & King LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 173 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $171,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Seneschal Advisors LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Seneschal Advisors LLC now owns 3,142 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Pasadena Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% during the third quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on COST shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.00.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $971.23 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $917.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $931.14. The company has a market cap of $431.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.02, a P/E/G ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,320,773.08. This trade represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and reiterated bullish ratings — Evercore ISI bumped its price target to $1,050 and kept an “outperform” call, and JPMorgan raised its target to $1,050 with an “overweight” rating; these lifts imply upside vs. the current price and may underpin investor interest. Evercore ISI price target raise The Fly
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: RFG Advisory increased its stake in COST (small position increase disclosed), which signals continued fund-level confidence in the business. RFG Advisory buys Costco shares
• Positive Sentiment: Local development pipeline: city approvals moving forward for a new Costco at Seminole Towne Center, which supports long-term footprint expansion and sales growth. Sanford moves forward with Costco development
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend speculation: commentary on the possibility of another large special dividend can buoy investor demand (special dividends historically lift sentiment). Will Costco treat investors to another special dividend?
• Neutral Sentiment: Interest and coverage pieces (Zacks, Yahoo, Motley Fool) highlight Costco as a trending name and discuss January sales strength and upcoming Q2 results — these drive attention but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Zacks trending stock piece
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data in the feed is effectively zero/invalid and provides no meaningful bearish pressure (no actionable signal).
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer issues: reports that some gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless could hurt member trust and generate negative headlines. Some gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless
• Negative Sentiment: Recall and safety warnings: a nationwide recall update with warnings of “severe” reactions raises potential liability and PR risk; such stories can pressure the stock near-term until resolved. Costco recall update

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.