Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Sold by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 30,143 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,754 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $27,901,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,364,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377,328 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after purchasing an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Finally, Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 15,055.5% during the 2nd quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 320,994 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $317,722,000 after purchasing an additional 318,876 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $982.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $436.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $959.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $935.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.51 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 top‑ and bottom‑line beat: Costco reported $4.58 EPS vs. ~$4.51 consensus and revenue of $69.6B vs. ~$68.96B; sales rose ~9.2% YoY and comparable sales strengthened, supporting the underlying business momentum. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy and set a $1,115 price target, and the Street shows a majority of buy/outperform ratings with a median ~$1,050 target — a positive backdrop for longer‑term sentiment. BTIG Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Tariff refund messaging: CEO Ron Vachris said any tariff refunds would be passed back to members through lower prices/values — good for member goodwill but uncertain for near‑term margin or cash‑flow impact. Business Insider
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst takeaways and materials: coverage and slide deck are available (company slide deck and call), giving investors more details to assess international strength and membership trends. Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and mixed prints: some outlets note shares slipped after the report and a third‑party data feed (Quiver) flagged misses versus other analyst models (slight EPS/revenue shortfalls vs. some estimates), which likely pressured sentiment. Quiver Quant
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and insider selling: Costco trades at a premium (high P/E), and recent filings/tallies show insider sales activity — both are weighty considerations for investors concerned about upside given stretched multiples. WSJ
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market/energy risks: an oil price jump tied to geopolitical risks (Strait of Hormuz concerns) is creating risk‑off pressure across retail names today, which can amplify a muted earnings reaction. Zacks

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. The trade was a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. HSBC reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,017.34.

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.