B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Lowers Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 19.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,113 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,997 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $7,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in COST. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 975.0% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 72.0% in the second quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 2,200.0% during the third quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. This trade represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho set a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Daiwa Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm set a $769.00 price target on Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Costco to report strong fiscal Q2 results, with previews calling for double-digit profit growth — investors view this as confirmation of resilient demand and margin stability. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Costco Wholesale’s Report
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst pieces argue Costco remains a buy for 2026 and beyond, emphasizing membership retention, steady sales/profit growth and defensive consumer-staples characteristics. This supportive coverage helps underpin the rally. Is Costco Stock a Buy in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s membership perks continue to be a strategic growth lever — coverage highlights a past controversial perk and four new 2026 benefits aimed at boosting member value and retention, which supports long-term revenue visibility. Costco Introduced a Controversial Perk Last Year — and It Plans to Follow This Up With 4 New Benefits in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Operational/UX improvements: reporting says Costco is adopting a tech upgrade used by competitors to improve the member experience — a potential driver of basket size and visit frequency. Costco borrows tech upgrade from competitor to boost member experience
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail buzz and product-level popularity (popular Costco finds, wholesale flowers) are helping brand engagement but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. ‘I’ve Been Using This Stuff Every Day For About 2 Years’
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading/technical interest: a pattern-trade roundup lists Costco as a top seasonal idea (speculative short‑term upside), which can attract momentum traders but isn’t a fundamental endorsement. 5 Best Pattern Trades for This Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish/critical takes: Seeking Alpha published pieces urging caution or a sell-the-rally stance, arguing the strong start may be short‑lived — these raise concerns about near-term momentum and give some investors reason to lock in gains. Costco: Strong Start To 2026 Likely Short-Lived
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions: coverage assessing Costco’s rich P/E highlights risk that upside is limited unless earnings justify the premium — a key watch for longer‑term investors. Assessing Whether Costco Wholesale (COST) Deserves Its Rich P/E
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider activity: a disclosed sale of 458 shares by an executive may be viewed as a small negative signal, though the sale size is immaterial relative to the company’s scale. Susan Decker Sells 458 Shares of Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $983.25 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $900.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $929.44. The firm has a market cap of $436.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.66, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.02. 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 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.04 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.