Sowell Financial Services LLC Has $15.60 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Sowell Financial Services LLC lowered its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,095 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 595 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.6% of Sowell Financial Services LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Sowell Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $15,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after acquiring an additional 90,107 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,911,331,000 after purchasing an additional 34,826 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,499,246,000 after purchasing an additional 127,495 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,555,661 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,544,040,000 after purchasing an additional 10,703 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,550,476.80. The trade was a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 5,038 shares of company stock valued at $4,790,896 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Costco Wholesale from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reaffirmed a bullish view on Costco and highlighted a long-term growth runway, which helped lift the stock as investors price in durable membership-driven growth. Costco Stock Pops as Analyst Flags Growth Runway
• Positive Sentiment: Sell-side support continues: Telsey Advisory reiterated an Outperform rating, reinforcing buy-side confidence and possibly supporting multiple expansion. Telsey Advisory Group Reaffirms Outperform Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Insider activity: a top executive executed a notable share purchase, which investors often view as management confidence in near-term fundamentals. Top Costco Executive Makes a High-Value Move
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion: Costco is pushing standalone gas stations in high-fuel-cost markets and opened a Manitoba Business Centre — moves that enhance value perception and broaden B2B revenue channels. Will Costco’s Gas and Business Centre Refine Its Value Narrative?
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational efficiency: Costco plans automated checkout stations to speed processing and reduce friction; potential margin benefits are longer-term and execution-dependent. Costco to introduce automated checkout stations
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive context and consumer interest pieces (product roundups, bakery comparisons) keep the brand top-of-mind but are unlikely to move near-term fundamentals. I’ve worked at Costco for 20 years
• Negative Sentiment: Value-price competition is heating up: Sam’s Club raised membership fees and grocery chains are cutting prices, which could intensify a margin squeeze across the sector; analysts suggest membership-price moves at competitors may pressure Costco to respond strategically. Sam’s Club is hiking its membership fees

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $1,014.96 on Monday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08. The company has a market cap of $450.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.78, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $989.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $940.35.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.04%.

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.