Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC Has $19.46 Million Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,019 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,401 shares during the quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Gould Capital LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 29.4% in the first quarter. Gould Capital LLC now owns 330 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $312,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the first quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 4,230 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,001,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 14.8% during the first quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 15,100 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $14,281,000 after purchasing an additional 1,945 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on COST. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $950.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price target for the company. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $987.58.

Key Stores Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Memberships remain a strong, recurring revenue engine: renewal rates are still near historical highs despite more digital sign-ups, supporting predictability of cash flow and the membership model. Costco Renewal Rates Stay Near Historical Highs Despite Digital Shift
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat expectations, which validates sales momentum and pricing strategy even as growth may moderate — a bullish fundamental anchor for long-term investors. Costco Beat Earnings Expectations in Q1. Here’s Why It Could Still Struggle in 2026.
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion continues: Costco has secured land and signed deals for new locations (example: a recent land purchase in Calgary), supporting long-term store growth and membership acquisition. Anthem and Rencor Sign Costco to Springbank’s Bingham Crossing Centre
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst/commentary pieces reiterate Costco as a long-term holding, reinforcing investor confidence in the company’s durable business model despite recent pullbacks. 3 Soaring Stocks to Hold for the Next 20 Years
• Neutral Sentiment: Macroeconomic / assortment effects: Tariffs are prompting merchandising adjustments to keep prices low for shoppers — this can compress margins or shift SKU mix, but management appears to be managing assortment proactively. How Tariffs Are Changing Up Costco’s Shelves
• Neutral Sentiment: International revenue trends deserve close attention — overseas growth dynamics and currency mix can meaningfully affect Wall Street’s forecasts and long‑term targets. Don’t Overlook Costco (COST) International Revenue Trends While Assessing the Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Guggenheim reiterated a Neutral rating amid softening metrics — an analyst stance that typically limits upside until metrics stabilize. Guggenheim reiterates Neutral rating on Costco stock amid softening metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual bearish options activity: a very large uptick in put purchases suggests some traders are positioning for further near-term downside or insurance against volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and structural cautions: analysis flags Costco’s AI‑grade multiple and other valuation metrics as warning signs for investors, which can pressure sentiment if growth slows. Why Costco’s (COST) AI-Grade Multiple is a Warning Signal for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade impact: a recent downgrade pushed the stock to a one‑year low, amplifying near‑term selling pressure and weighing on sentiment. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Hits New 1-Year Low After Analyst Downgrade

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $855.62 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $909.89 and a 200-day moving average of $945.21. The company has a market cap of $379.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for 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%. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 27.85%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total value of $2,526,336.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,817,966.10. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,720 shares of company stock valued at $9,010,257. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.