Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Financial Advocates Investment Management

Financial Advocates Investment Management decreased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 86.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 588 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,701 shares during the quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,141,062,000 after acquiring an additional 90,107 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,124,263,000 after acquiring an additional 150,844 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after purchasing an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.1%

COST stock opened at $998.86 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $443.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.50, a PEG ratio of 5.16 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $920.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $931.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced 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 business had revenue of $67.31 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised price targets or reiterated bullish views, supporting the rally — Evercore ISI boosted its price target to $1,050. Evercore ISI Boosts Costco Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein lifted its target to $1,155 and kept an Outperform, citing resilience in the quarter and positioning COST as a Roth-IRA candidate — a bullish endorsement that can attract long-term money. Bernstein Boosts Costco Target
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan commentary flagged upside to the stock, reinforcing buy-side confidence and likely contributing to intraday buying pressure. JPMorgan Says COST Expected to Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Industry and market write-ups emphasize Costco’s long-term growth profile and YTD momentum, which can sustain investor interest (articles discuss whether COST can reach $1,200 and highlight growth scores). Can Costco Stock Hit $1,200?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation debate persists — Zacks notes Costco trades at a high multiple (forward P/E ~46x) and recommends a “hold” for some investors despite solid comps and renewal/digital trends. This tempers upside for value-sensitive funds. Is Costco Stock a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show an anomalous “large increase” but list zero shares and a 0.0 days ratio — the data appears unreliable and should not be over-interpreted; low reported short interest would be supportive if accurate. (Data timestamp Feb 11–12.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Customer-interest pieces (e.g., members impressed by regional store features) boost brand sentiment but are unlikely to move results materially in the short term. Members in Awe of Regional Stores
• Negative Sentiment: Costco issued a recall of mini beignets over an undeclared hazelnut allergen across multiple states — a reputational and operational nuisance; typically a modest financial hit but worth monitoring for broader food-safety headlines. Costco Recalls Mini Beignets

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Hovde Group assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,009.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.