Avalon Trust Co Buys 577 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Avalon Trust Co boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,673 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 577 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $2,474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,141,062,000 after purchasing an additional 90,107 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 150,844 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake 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 valued at $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on COST shares. Raymond James Financial cut 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 research report on Friday, December 12th. Evercore lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,008.07.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Supreme Court tariff ruling could benefit Costco financially and reputationally—companies that filed early suits, including Costco, may have an edge collecting refunds and avoiding passed‑on tariffs, which supports margins and customer PR. Fortune: With Trump’s tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, Costco stands to win big
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and sell‑side attention is bullish: Rothschild & Co Redburn published a note forecasting strong price appreciation for COST, which can attract buyers and support sentiment. American Banking News: Rothschild & Co Redburn Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Costco
• Positive Sentiment: High‑visibility brand moves: a limited Nike partnership generated buzz and social resale demand, boosting marketing momentum and potential traffic to warehouses. Motley Fool: Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow and trading ideas: some outlets are promoting short‑term bullish option strategies on COST, indicating retail and options traders are active but not changing fundamentals. Investors Business Daily: Bull Put Spread Idea
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notices in the feed show large increases but report zero shares and 0.0 days (likely a data/reporting error); not meaningful for immediate positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Food‑safety litigation: a class‑action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses a salmonella risk—legal exposure and reputational damage could pressure sales in affected categories. MyNorthwest: Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headline hits: Costco is issuing refunds and recalling certain gift cards after a program closure, and it dropped an Asheville store proposal citing cost/requirements—both are modest near‑term costs and may dent local expansion sentiment. Yahoo: Costco drops Asheville proposal due to requirements, costs Yahoo: Costco Is Recalling Gift Cards Issued for Hundreds of Restaurants

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $985.27 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $437.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.77, a PEG ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $934.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $934.23. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The business’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.04 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

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.