Sen. Markwayne Mullin Buys Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Stock

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) recently bought shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). In a filing disclosed on January 16th, the Senator disclosed that they had bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in Costco Wholesale stock on December 29th.

Senator Markwayne Mullin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of RTX (NYSE:RTX) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $100,001 – $250,000 in shares of Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 12/29/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) on 12/29/2025.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $963.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $427.72 billion, a PE ratio of 51.61, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $894.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $930.25. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.85%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised shareholder returns with a confirmed quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share (payable Feb. 13), which supports income-focused demand and underpins buyer interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Technical and momentum stories are signaling a breakout after late-2025 weakness; analysts and commentators pointing to stronger December sales and improving charts are drawing short-term buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple long-term investor pieces highlight Costco’s resilient membership model, renewal economics and international expansion as durable tailwinds that keep buy-and-hold interest elevated. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Consumer-facing features (e.g., food-court pricing, membership perks) and new incentives to upgrade members to Executive status may help average spend and renewals over time, supporting the revenue mix. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer and lifestyle write-ups (buy-and-hold lists, product highlights) keep brand visibility high but are unlikely to move the stock materially by themselves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Options-flow commentary notes unusually active put activity on Costco — framed as a strategy for acquiring shares without overpaying; this highlights price sensitivity but isn’t a direct directional signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP James Klauer and other executives disclosed mid-January share sales (Klauer sold 1,500 shares), which can create short-term selling pressure and raise investor caution even if sales are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a constraint—COST trades at a premium versus peers (~50x earnings), so the stock is sensitive to any sign of slowing sales/margin improvement; some coverage highlights that premium as a risk to near-term gains. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 418,980.3% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 2,359,422 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,335,686,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358,859 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in 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 buying an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after buying an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,946 shares of company stock valued at $10,958,028. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on COST. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $996.00.

About Senator Mullin

Markwayne Mullin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. He assumed office on January 11, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Mullin (Republican Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. Senate to represent Oklahoma. He won in the special general election on November 8, 2022. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and one of four Native American members of the 116th Congress. At the age of 20, Mullin took over his father’s plumbing business. He is also a former professional mixed martial artist. Markwayne Mullin graduated from Stilwell High School. Mullin earned an associate degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. His career experience includes owning and founding multiple businesses.

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.