Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Trimmed by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,986 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 779 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.7% of Hartford Investment Management Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $24,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of COST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $1,364,888,000 after buying an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 15,055.5% during the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 320,994 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $317,722,000 after acquiring an additional 318,876 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $968.36 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $429.83 billion, a PE ratio of 51.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $908.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $929.27. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.04 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100 price target, signaling continued analyst confidence and upside vs. the current level. Telsey reaffirmation and $1,100 PT
• Positive Sentiment: New store investment: a roughly $37M Costco build in New Braunfels is progressing ahead of an April opening — expansion that supports future sales and membership growth. $37M New Braunfels construction
• Positive Sentiment: Operations/UX improvements: recent changes to speed up shopping for members can raise throughput and sales per visit. Shopping faster and easier for members
• Positive Sentiment: Media bullishness: commentators including Jim Cramer have highlighted Costco’s recent momentum, which can lift sentiment and buying interest. Jim Cramer says ‘Been a Good Bounce’
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry comparisons and stock-picking pieces (e.g., Motley Fool) examine Costco vs. Walmart — useful context but not an immediate price driver. Costco vs. Walmart analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data appears inconsistent (zeros/NaN), so there’s no clear indication of a large short-squeeze or meaningful short pressure from the published figure.
• Negative Sentiment: Product recall: Costco recalled mini beignets across multiple states for mislabeling that creates an allergy risk — a reputational and potential liability headwind, though likely small relative to company scale. Costco recalls mini beignets after packaging mix-up
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade: an InvestorPlace update included a downgrade of Costco in its blue-chip rankings, which can create short-term selling pressure among model/benchmark investors. FedEx Upgraded, Costco Downgraded

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on COST. Hovde Group assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. HSBC decreased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

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.