Fiera Capital Corp Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Fiera Capital Corp lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 87,423 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 8,181 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $80,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Peterson Wealth Services increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,616 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $13,479,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 49.3% in the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $874,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,640,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during 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. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $987.82 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $932.55 and its 200 day moving average is $934.33. The company has a market cap of $438.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The business 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.04 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Hovde Group started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,008.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn issued a bullish outlook forecasting strong price appreciation for COST, which can support investor confidence and buy-side interest. Rothschild & Co Redburn Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Nike’s limited partnership with Costco is generating buzz and resale demand, signaling potential incremental traffic and a marketing win that can boost same-store sales and brand halo. Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Positive Sentiment: New consumer services — Costco is rolling out online and app-based custom cake ordering, a small but tangible ecommerce/service expansion that can modestly increase basket spend and convenience. Costco is unveiling online cake ordering and customers say its ‘awesome news’
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media comparisons: several pieces weigh Costco’s steady, membership-driven model versus peers (Target, Walmart) and debate upside potential given current valuation — useful for longer-term positioning but mixed near-term impact. Target vs. Costco: Which Discount Retail Stock Has Better Upside Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest report in February appears anomalous (reported large increase but shows zero shares / NaN); no clear evidence of a meaningful short squeeze risk at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Costco dropped a proposed project in Asheville citing regulatory requirements and costs — a sign of localized development friction that could slow planned square-footage growth. Costco drops Asheville proposal due to requirements, costs
• Negative Sentiment: Product safety and recall issues: Costco faces a class-action alleging salmonella risk from rotisserie chicken and is issuing refunds/recalling certain restaurant gift cards — both create near-term legal/operational noise and potential costs. Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: commentary and trading reports note recent share declines amid a broader market bounce, reflecting investor reassessment of valuation after strong multi-year gains. Costco (COST) Stock Declines While Market Improves: Some Information for Investors

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.