Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST is Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s 7th Largest Position

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,667 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,808 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 2.3% of Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $59,214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,853 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,089,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,416,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, signaling stronger-than-expected profit outlook that supports higher valuation multiples for COST. Erste Group EPS Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is rolling out standalone gas stations — a potential traffic driver and membership-value play that could boost ancillary revenue and stickiness of memberships. Costco Is Launching Standalone Gas Stations
• Positive Sentiment: Costco opened its 11th Canadian Business Centre (Winnipeg), expanding B2B footprint, creating local jobs and increasing wholesale penetration in a new province. Canada’s Eleventh Costco Business Centre
• Positive Sentiment: New Kirkland energy drink rollout is drawing customer enthusiasm and could pressure branded competitors while reinforcing Costco’s private-label margin advantages. Kirkland Energy Drink Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsements and favorable press (Charlie Munger praise, coverage highlighting membership loyalty) help sentiment and investor confidence in Costco’s durable model. Charlie Munger on Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Costco to Walmart and Amazon frames Costco as a defensive, membership-driven retailer but highlights intensifying omnichannel and ad-revenue competition from peers. Walmart or Costco: Who’s Winning?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor write-ups (Fool, MarketBeat) continue to list Costco as a top consumer-staples holding — supportive for long-term flows but not a catalyst for immediate re-rating. The 2 Best Consumer Staples Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and media flag concerns about membership-growth trends and rich valuation — a key risk that could cap upside if membership or comparable-sales momentum slows. Analyst Concerns on Membership Growth

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Twenty-two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $983.86 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $986.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $938.98. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,067.08. The firm has a market cap of $436.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.