Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Sold by Pinnacle Associates Ltd.

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,391 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 604 shares during the period. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $32,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.9% during the second quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 214,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $200,372,000 after acquiring an additional 13,795 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.1% in the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 158,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $148,193,000 after acquiring an additional 6,200 shares during the period. Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $16,013,000. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hyperion Asset Management Ltd now owns 68,762 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $64,325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15.0% in the 2nd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,766 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,974 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Value proposition strengthened by inflation: With consumer prices rising 3.7% year over year and gasoline prices up sharply, Costco’s low-margin, high-volume model and reported 14% markup cap could attract shoppers seeking lower prices. Inflation and Costco’s value model
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: CICC initiated coverage of Costco with an “Outperform” rating, adding a new bullish view on the company’s long-term prospects. CICC Costco coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion and membership durability: Costco operates 292 of its 939 warehouses outside the U.S. and Puerto Rico, leaving room for overseas membership growth. Articles also highlight the company’s strong customer retention, a feature that supports recurring membership revenue. Costco overseas membership growth
• Positive Sentiment: Digital execution: Costco, Walmart and Target are benefiting from faster delivery, AI-enabled shopping and marketplace partnerships, supporting continued e-commerce growth. Retail digital sales growth
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF purchases and coverage describing Costco’s desserts, pumpkin pie, tote bags and planned South Meridian warehouse opening reinforce brand engagement and store expansion, but are unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. ETF purchases of Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s supplier controls and food-safety procedures may protect customer trust, though attention to food-safety risks highlights an ongoing operational issue for grocery retailers. Costco food-safety procedures
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: Costco trades at the highest earnings multiple among six large retailers in one comparison, despite ranking only fifth in operating margin. That premium leaves less room for execution disappointments and may limit upside. Costco valuation versus rivals
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s aggressive holiday-sales ambitions and early Black Friday promotions reinforce competitive pressure, particularly around price and convenience. Walmart holiday competition

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock opened at $998.31 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $935.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $962.90. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $442.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.09, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.87 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.32%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. The trade was a 26.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, September 28th. HSBC raised shares of Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,015.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.