Intech Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Intech Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 41,398 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,636 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $38,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of COST. Soundwatch Capital LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% in the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on 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 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 sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.4%

COST opened at $994.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $441.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.28, a PEG ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $942.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $934.83. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08. 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 (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 analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco rolled out a new food-court menu item (double chocolate mint sundae / mint chocolate sundae) that has drawn strong shopper interest and social-media buzz—small-margin, high-traffic initiatives that can boost in-store visits and membership renewals. Costco launches new food court treat to rival McDonalds
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes Costco is adding more big brands and lowering prices on some items—reinforcing its value proposition and traffic-driving “treasure hunt” model that supports membership growth and same-store sales. Costco adds more big brands and lowers prices
• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target for COST to $1,000 (from $990) while keeping a Neutral rating — a modest analyst upgrade that reflects recent same-store sales/earnings beats and supports the stock’s near-term valuation floor. Citi Raises Costco (COST) Price Target to $1,000 from $990
• Positive Sentiment: Costco continues expansion: a new warehouse is slated to open in Lawrence later this year, supporting long-term sales growth and membership penetration in that market. New Costco store set to open in Lawrence later this year
• Positive Sentiment: Product assortment expansion—Costco widened distribution of Levels Whey Protein across several regions—helping its health/wellness assortment and appealing to higher-margin grocery categories. Costco Expands Levels Whey Protein As Valuation And Membership Story Evolves
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector context: consumer staples and defensive funds have outperformed recently, which can support Costco as a defensive retail play but may already be priced into shares. Consumer Staples Are Up Almost 20% While the S&P 500 Struggles. Retirees Are Paying Attention.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest report shows no meaningful change (reported 0 shares), so short activity is not driving today’s move.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal risk: Costco is facing multiple class‑action lawsuits tied to its $4.99 rotisserie chicken pricing—potential reputational/legal expense risk that can pressure sentiment and media attention. Costco faces yet another lawsuit over its rotisserie chicken
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/strategy worries: pieces flag macro/tariff risks and argue Costco’s valuation is rich — issues that can cap upside in a risk‑off market. Costco: Macro/Tariff Risks Persist – Further Consolidation Likely
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation critique: commentary labeling Costco a “fantastic company” but questioning its current valuation can prompt profit‑taking among investors who see limited upside from here. Costco: Fantastic Company, Unreasonable Valuation

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on 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. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,008.07.

Costco Wholesale 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.