Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Has $3.34 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,603 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 520 shares during the quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Busey Bank lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,454,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the third quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,299,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $916,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” and a $1,185 price target, signaling material upside from current levels and lending institutional momentum to the name.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Costco’s resilience in a K-shaped economy — pricing power, loyal executive members and margin durability — supporting the stock’s defensive growth narrative. What’s Going On With Costco Wholesale Stock Today?
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a long-term bullish piece framing Costco’s business model as attractive for buy-and-hold investors, reinforcing the stock’s appeal for portfolio allocation. Costco: A Strong Business Model For Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Merchandising and pricing moves — Costco added more national brands and cut prices on select items — which can boost traffic and member perceived value, supporting same-store fundamentals. Costco adds more big brands and lowers prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco heads into Q2 with consensus expectations for revenue growth (~+8.6%) and EPS (~+12.7%), which supports the bull case but raises the bar — strong results could be priced in given recent analyst optimism. Should You Buy Costco Stock Ahead of Q2 Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is pursuing tariff refund lawsuits (post-Supreme Court rulings) while investing in digital tools and global expansion — potential upside from refunds but also short-term cash/legal uncertainty and capex. How Investors May Respond To Costco Wholesale (COST) Tariff Refund Lawsuits And Digital Expansion Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Operational hiccup: Costco notified Hawaii members of a Yakitori fried rice recall — a localized food-safety issue that could produce modest short-term negative PR and costs. Costco notifies Hawaii members of Yakitori fried rice recall

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $1,010.79 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $948.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $934.96. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $448.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.14, a P/E/G ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04.

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 firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend 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 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The shares were 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 directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on COST. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price target for the company. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,014.39.

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.