Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Has $26.46 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,688 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,244 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $26,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,713 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,514,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 32.8% in the 4th quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. now owns 5,991 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,166,000 after purchasing an additional 1,481 shares during the period. Petros Family Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. Petros Family Wealth LLC now owns 1,844 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,590,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Hourglass Capital LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. Hourglass Capital LLC now owns 436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two equities 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $983.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market cap of $436.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.16, a P/E/G ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $986.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $938.98. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%.The company’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.02 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently 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.