Krilogy Financial LLC Takes Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Krilogy Financial LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,894 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,706,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,364,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377,328 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after purchasing an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 15,055.5% during the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 320,994 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $317,722,000 after buying an additional 318,876 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $978.14 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $918.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $931.46. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market cap of $434.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.39, a PEG ratio of 5.12 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 posted 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. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target to $1,050 and kept an “outperform” rating — a formal analyst upgrade that supports further upside. Evercore price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan/other Wall Street commentary flagged upside potential for COST, reinforcing analyst conviction and likely supporting buying interest. JPMorgan analyst says stock expected to rise
• Positive Sentiment: Local development news shows continued footprint expansion (Sanford Seminole Towne Center), which supports sales growth and long‑term comp opportunities. Sanford Costco development
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting the stock’s YTD momentum and bullish price targets (including speculative $1,200 debate) can attract momentum traders and retail buyers. Can COST hit $1,200?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor discussion about potential special dividends keeps yield-focused investors interested — a visible catalyst ahead of earnings that could lift the stock if management signals payouts. Special dividend speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest postings show effectively zero reported short interest (odd/possibly stale data), so short squeeze risk appears minimal based on current figures. (No external link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting regional store features (e.g., outdoor food courts) and the Costco Pharmacy provide consumer interest/brand goodwill but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Members in awe of regional stores Costco Pharmacy explainer
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research sites (Zacks, Yahoo/MarketBeat summaries) are flagging COST as a trending/bullish name — useful context for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Zacks trending stock note Are analysts bullish?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some third‑party gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless represent a reputational/headline risk and could prompt short‑term customer concern. Worthless gift cards report
• Negative Sentiment: Recall alerts tied to products with “severe” reactions are a near‑term operational/headline negative that could press sentiment until resolved. Recall update

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of several analyst reports. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.