L & S Advisors Inc Sells 5,744 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

L & S Advisors Inc reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 80.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,432 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,744 shares during the quarter. L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,326,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Soundwatch Capital LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Twenty-one investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,008.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn published a bullish forecast calling for strong price appreciation for COST, giving investors a prominent sell-side endorsement to support upside expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s limited Nike partnership is generating social-media buzz and strong resale demand — a brand crossover that can lift traffic and margin on select items, improving customer acquisition/engagement. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and coverage note steady comparable-store sales and growth in digitally enabled channels, supporting the company’s long-term membership-led thesis even as revenue/margins show slower, but consistent, expansion. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with peers: pieces weighing Target’s AI/digital investments versus Costco’s scale conclude Costco is steadier but may offer less near-term multiple expansion than more aggressive digital plays. This frames relative valuation decisions for investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Notes on fund concentration: commentary that Walmart and Costco make up a large share of XLP raises macro/portfolio-risk discussion (not company-specific performance), which can influence demand from defensive ETF holders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Class-action suit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk — a food-safety legal issue that could create reputational risk and potential costs if it expands. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/customer-impact items: Costco will issue refunds tied to the Synergy gift-card program closure and has recalled certain restaurant gift cards — these are direct, if likely modest, financial and customer-service headwinds. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Costco dropped a proposed Asheville store due to local requirements and costs, signaling occasional friction in US expansion plans that could modestly slow new-club growth in specific markets. Read More.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $987.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $438.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.91, a P/E/G ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $932.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $934.33. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.04 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. 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 (DPR) is 27.85%.

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.