American Century Companies Inc. Purchases 127,495 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 8.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,619,703 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 127,495 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale comprises about 0.8% of American Century Companies Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.37% of Costco Wholesale worth $1,499,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% in the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at $35,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” and a $1,185 price target, signaling material upside from current levels and lending institutional momentum to the name.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Costco’s resilience in a K-shaped economy — pricing power, loyal executive members and margin durability — supporting the stock’s defensive growth narrative. What’s Going On With Costco Wholesale Stock Today?
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a long-term bullish piece framing Costco’s business model as attractive for buy-and-hold investors, reinforcing the stock’s appeal for portfolio allocation. Costco: A Strong Business Model For Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Merchandising and pricing moves — Costco added more national brands and cut prices on select items — which can boost traffic and member perceived value, supporting same-store fundamentals. Costco adds more big brands and lowers prices
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco heads into Q2 with consensus expectations for revenue growth (~+8.6%) and EPS (~+12.7%), which supports the bull case but raises the bar — strong results could be priced in given recent analyst optimism. Should You Buy Costco Stock Ahead of Q2 Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is pursuing tariff refund lawsuits (post-Supreme Court rulings) while investing in digital tools and global expansion — potential upside from refunds but also short-term cash/legal uncertainty and capex. How Investors May Respond To Costco Wholesale (COST) Tariff Refund Lawsuits And Digital Expansion Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Operational hiccup: Costco notified Hawaii members of a Yakitori fried rice recall — a localized food-safety issue that could produce modest short-term negative PR and costs. Costco notifies Hawaii members of Yakitori fried rice recall

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,792,849.10. The trade was a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,010.79 on Friday. 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 cap of $448.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.14, a P/E/G ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,067.08. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $948.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $935.35.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,155.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, February 9th. HSBC cut their price objective on shares of 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,014.39.

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.