Avanza Fonder AB Purchases Shares of 936 Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 936 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $807,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. Hurley Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors 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: Costco’s new Kirkland energy drink is being positioned as a value private‑label offering that should drive incremental sales and hurt branded competitors — this is seen by markets as a low‑cost growth lever for Costco. Why Costco’s cheap new Kirkland energy drink won’t crush Celsius
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights strong member response to the Kirkland energy drink and frames the launch as another example of Costco using its private label to expand assortments and margins — a near‑term positive for top‑line and gross‑margin outlooks. Costco’s new energy drink delights fans, rattles competition
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets note that Costco’s product expansion is putting pressure on smaller branded peers (e.g., Celsius), which markets interpreted as confirmation that Costco can capture share in higher‑growth categories. Celsius Stock Jolted After Costco Offers Energy-Drink Brand for Less
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly positive: consensus price target implies material upside, but reports flag rising concerns about membership growth and valuation — a mixed signal for future returns. Analysts Bullish on Costco Wholesale (COST) Despite Increasing Concerns Regarding Membership Growth Trends and Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses on Costco’s gas‑pricing strategy emphasize it as a membership retention/acquisition tool that stabilizes traffic and revenue — supportive for recurring revenue and same‑store trends. Here’s Why Costco’s Gas Pricing Strategy Is Good News for Shareholders
• Negative Sentiment: Separate pieces call out valuation worries and include Costco on lists of overvalued names — a reminder that the stock’s premium multiple leaves it vulnerable to sentiment shifts if membership or comp trends slow. 5 Most Overvalued Companies According to the Media
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/legal flow: Bloomberg Law flags Costco as a target in consumer tariff‑refund actions — keep an eye on potential filings, though no immediate financial impact has been reported. FedEx, Costco, UPS Are Main Targets for Consumer Tariff Refunds

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of COST opened at $974.86 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $432.50 billion, a PE ratio of 50.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a fifty day moving average of $985.83 and a 200 day moving average of $938.89. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.04%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. The trade was a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.