Benjamin Edwards Inc. Purchases 14,776 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 86,728 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 14,776 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.9% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $80,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 40.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 37,502 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $35,469,000 after acquiring an additional 10,894 shares during the period. SCS Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at approximately $3,893,000. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.8% during the first quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 67,700 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $64,029,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently 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 net sales rose 8.5% to $29.86 billion and total-company comparable sales grew ~7% for the five-week month; digitally‑enabled sales jumped ~19%, highlighting sustained demand and e‑commerce strength. GlobeNewswire Sales Release
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded COST to “Outperform” with a $1,000 price target, amplifying upside expectations and reinforcing the bullish analyst narrative. The Fly: Mizuho Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: William Blair reiterated a Buy on COST, citing robust holiday comps and arguing that recent weakness presents an attractive entry point for long‑term growth investors. TipRanks: William Blair Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains tilted positive overall (median price targets near ~$1,030), supporting a constructive medium‑term outlook but implying valuation dependence on continued traffic/margin resilience. QuiverQuant: Sales & Analyst Context
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces highlight Costco’s retail‑media and membership durability as underappreciated long‑term drivers; these are strategic positives but not immediate catalysts. Seeking Alpha: Retail Media
• Positive Sentiment: Operational expansion: a new distribution center in Port St. Lucie is expected to open in March 2026, which should help supply/logistics as store and e‑commerce volumes grow. WFLX: Distribution Center
• Negative Sentiment: Quiver/other trackers show notable insider selling activity over recent months (multiple EVP sales), which can be viewed as a near‑term negative signal for market sentiment. QuiverQuant: Insider Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Local legal risk: a lawsuit alleges procedural issues in Paramus’ approval of a new Costco, which could delay or complicate that specific development and draw headlines. NorthJersey: Paramus Lawsuit

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on COST. Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Mizuho set a $1,000.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Roth Capital set a $769.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of 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. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $994.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total transaction of $2,232,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total value of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,792,849.10. This trade represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:COST opened at $882.58 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $892.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $932.63. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,078.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $391.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.27, a P/E/G ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.