Nordea Investment Management AB Acquires 3,838 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 12.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,520 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,838 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $32,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Bangor Savings Bank grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.3% in the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 1,037 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $960,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 135.0% during the 3rd quarter. ZEGA Investments LLC now owns 12,603 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,666,000 after buying an additional 7,240 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 6,882 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,371,000 after buying an additional 1,097 shares during the period. New Republic Capital LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. New Republic Capital LLC now owns 615 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $569,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lynch Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.1% during the third quarter. Lynch Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,600 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,332,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: December sales and digital momentum: December sales accelerated (5-week period showing mid-single-digit comps) and digital-enabled sales surged (~19% YoY), supporting higher traffic and larger average tickets — a clear revenue catalyst. Costco Finally Breaks Out: Is There Still Time to Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Technical breakout and upside interest: After a prolonged pullback, shares have broken above key short-term moving averages, drawing renewed buying and analyst attention that can sustain momentum into earnings and guidance windows. Costco Finally Breaks Out: Is There Still Time to Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Retail footprint expansion: Costco plans/announcements for new warehouses continue (recent local reports of six new openings across three states), supporting membership growth and long-term sales runway. The Costco Craze Continues: 6 New Warehouses Opening Across 3 States
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive long-term narrative but not an immediate catalyst: Features on Costco’s long-term returns (e.g., articles on buy-and-hold outcomes and whether it can make long-term investors wealthy) reinforce confidence but don’t change near-term fundamentals. Could Costco Help You Become a Millionaire Over the Long Term?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Multiple disclosures show executive share sales (EVP Russell Miller sold 1,500 shares), which some investors read as a near-term red flag even though the amounts are small relative to market cap. Several Executives Sell Costco Stock (COST) to Start the New Year
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation headwinds: Analysts and features note Costco trades at a premium (~50x earnings), leaving the stock vulnerable if sales momentum cools or macro pressures hit consumer spending. Read This Before Buying Costco Stock for the Long Term

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $950.98 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $893.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $930.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $422.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 10,446 shares of company stock worth $9,549,528 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on COST. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. HSBC decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Roth Capital set a $769.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $996.00.

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.