Oak Asset Management LLC Purchases 1,615 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Oak Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 39.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,701 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,615 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises 1.7% of Oak Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Oak Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,916,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. First County Bank CT lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 2,959 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,552,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Fairvoy Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,484 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,867,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 30,688 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $26,463,000 after buying an additional 7,244 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,713 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,514,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 32.8% during the fourth quarter. Generali Investments CEE investicni spolecnost a.s. now owns 5,991 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,166,000 after buying an additional 1,481 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,155.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, February 9th. Bank of America began 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 target on the stock. Roth Mkm restated a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,115.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale 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 firm has a market capitalization of $436.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.16, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $986.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $938.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.02 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.