Atria Investments Inc Trims Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Atria Investments Inc lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,403 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 2,971 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $15,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of COST. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after acquiring an additional 90,107 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,124,263,000 after buying an additional 150,844 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on COST. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-two 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 MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $978.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.39, a P/E/G ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $918.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $931.46. 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 data 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. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.04 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target to $1,050 and kept an “outperform” rating — a formal analyst upgrade that supports further upside. Evercore price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan/other Wall Street commentary flagged upside potential for COST, reinforcing analyst conviction and likely supporting buying interest. JPMorgan analyst says stock expected to rise
• Positive Sentiment: Local development news shows continued footprint expansion (Sanford Seminole Towne Center), which supports sales growth and long‑term comp opportunities. Sanford Costco development
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting the stock’s YTD momentum and bullish price targets (including speculative $1,200 debate) can attract momentum traders and retail buyers. Can COST hit $1,200?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor discussion about potential special dividends keeps yield-focused investors interested — a visible catalyst ahead of earnings that could lift the stock if management signals payouts. Special dividend speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest postings show effectively zero reported short interest (odd/possibly stale data), so short squeeze risk appears minimal based on current figures. (No external link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting regional store features (e.g., outdoor food courts) and the Costco Pharmacy provide consumer interest/brand goodwill but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Members in awe of regional stores Costco Pharmacy explainer
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research sites (Zacks, Yahoo/MarketBeat summaries) are flagging COST as a trending/bullish name — useful context for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Zacks trending stock note Are analysts bullish?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some third‑party gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless represent a reputational/headline risk and could prompt short‑term customer concern. Worthless gift cards report
• Negative Sentiment: Recall alerts tied to products with “severe” reactions are a near‑term operational/headline negative that could press sentiment until resolved. Recall update

Costco Wholesale 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.