Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Sowell Financial Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,690 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,062 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for about 0.7% of Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $17,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,766 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Rede Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $346,000. NovaPoint Capital LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the third quarter. NovaPoint Capital LLC now owns 2,654 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,457,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.4% in the third quarter. Founders Grove Wealth Partners LLC now owns 263 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valicenti Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $4,233,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $873.35 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $902.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $938.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $387.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.78, a PEG ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 1.00.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COST. 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, December 4th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $992.08.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northcoast Research upgraded COST from Neutral to Buy and set a $1,100 price target (roughly +26% upside from recent levels), a near-term catalyst for bullish flows. Northcoast Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Yahoo Finance reports Costco “breaks 3 records” — a headline that reinforces momentum around membership, sales and comps (positively read by investors even before full detail disclosure). Costco breaks 3 records
• Positive Sentiment: Forbes published a piece outlining specific catalysts and execution paths that could drive a rally in COST — a constructive analyst/strategy view that supports more optimistic positioning. How Costco Stock Can Rally
• Positive Sentiment: The Motley Fool (and syndicated repeat) published bullish commentary framing COST as a long-term wealth-builder, reinforcing investor confidence in the membership model and repeat purchase economics. Is Costco Stock a Multimillionaire Maker?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks compares Target vs. Costco on upside potential — this frames COST as resilient (membership/digital momentum) but highlights peer execution differences investors are weighing. Target vs. Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketBeat flagged COST as among household names showing rare oversold signals into year-end — a technical setup that can attract short-term buying if momentum stabilizes. Oversold Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted increased investor attention on COST (summary pieces that raise visibility but don’t change fundamentals). Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer/operational items — a regional product feature (MSN), holiday hours/closures and a planned one-day shutdown article — are interest items for customers but unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Regional Costco Find Holiday Closure

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total transaction of $2,526,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,410,343.68. The trade was a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 6,339 shares of company stock valued at $5,916,642 in the last ninety days. Corporate 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.