Capital Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 6.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,773 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 974 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $14,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Bulwark Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. 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 purchasing an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 900.0% during the first quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 975.0% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-reported December net sales of $29.86B (up 8.5% YoY) and 18.9% digitally-enabled sales highlight broad-based strength across regions and channels, underpinning near-term revenue momentum. Costco Reports December Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Monthly and holiday comp-sales data (total-company comps ~+7%, U.S. comps +6%) are cited by analysts as a catalyst for a stock recovery and buying interest. Coverage and write-ups from outlets highlight the sales beat as the primary short-term driver. Costco Holiday Blowout Signals Strong Stock Recovery Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street activity is supportive: new coverage (Deutsche Bank initiated at Buy), analyst reaffirmations and high price targets (Telsey $1,100 PT; J.P. Morgan maintain Buy with $1,000 PT) lift sentiment and create potential upside vs. the current share price. Deutsche Bank Coverage (Finviz)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes Costco’s long-term growth runway (membership model, retail media potential, international expansion), which supports a premium valuation but also implies investors are pricing in quality growth. Costco: The Retail Media Transformation Everyone Is Missing
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculation about special dividends and investor chatter around capital returns has surfaced after strong sales; this can boost short-term interest but is not confirmed corporate action. Investors Hunt for a 2026 Special Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Local development/legal risks: a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed Paramus, NJ Costco highlights potential project delays and local regulatory risk that can affect growth timing in specific markets. Paramus Lawsuit Seeks to Block Costco Project
• Negative Sentiment: Quiver/filings data show notable insider sales and mixed institutional positioning; heavy insider selling can be perceived negatively even as institutions broadly remain active — a risk to sentiment if selling accelerates. QuiverQuant December Sales & Insider Activity

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Roth Capital set a $769.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, BTIG Research assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 target price for the company. Twenty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 3.7%

NASDAQ COST opened at $915.31 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $892.31 and a 200-day moving average of $932.51. The firm has a market cap of $406.28 billion, a PE ratio of 49.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 1.02.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total transaction of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 5,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,817,966.10. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,792,849.10. This trade represents a 5.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,946 shares of company stock valued at $8,175,048. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.