Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Purchased by Allianz SE

Allianz SE grew its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,903 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 954 shares during the quarter. Allianz SE’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $20,274,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Raymond James Financial dropped 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 report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price target on the stock. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,014.39.

More 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

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.4%

NASDAQ COST 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $948.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $935.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $448.66 billion, a PE ratio of 54.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.04 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

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.