Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc Has $2.64 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc trimmed its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,063 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 797 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 1.2% of Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Armstrong Fleming & Moore Inc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,642,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the second quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 2,110 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,089,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 8,502 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,416,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Sam’s Club raised its membership fees, and analysts say that shift can push more price‑sensitive shoppers toward membership retailers like Costco — a potential tailwind for Costco’s traffic, membership revenue and pricing power. Sam’s Club membership fee hike
• Positive Sentiment: Costco plans to deploy automated checkout stations that can speed transactions — a productivity/experience improvement that can reduce labor costs and shorten queues, supporting margins and member satisfaction. Automated checkout stations
• Positive Sentiment: Company expansion: Costco confirmed a $37M New Braunfels store opening in May and is rolling out Business Centres and member-only gas stations in high fuel-cost markets — initiatives that extend revenue streams beyond groceries. New Braunfels opening Gas & Business Centre expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and insider signals: Telsey reaffirmed an Outperform on COST, and a top Costco executive recently executed a material share purchase — both lend credibility to the bull case and investor confidence. Telsey reaffirmation Insider buying
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive consumer coverage and product stories (bakery comparisons, top frozen foods, small appliances) keep brand visibility high but carry little immediate earnings impact. Bakery comparison Appliance roundup Frozen foods list
• Negative Sentiment: Retail price war: TheStreet reports grocery chains are cutting prices as competition intensifies — a trend that can squeeze margins if Costco is forced to run deeper promotions or match lower prices from non‑membership competitors. Grocery price war
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: Costco trades at a premium (high P/E and PEG), so strong operational news may already be priced in and leaves the stock vulnerable to disappointment or broader market rotations. (See published metrics and technical notes.)
• Negative Sentiment: Minor PR noise: Viral consumer stories (e.g., a pricey 10‑lb Easter bunny) can create short-term headlines but are unlikely to move fundamentals. Easter bunny coverage

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,014.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $450.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.99. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $989.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $940.21. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 earned $4.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. HSBC lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 5,038 shares of company stock worth $4,790,896 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.