Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stake Reduced by Markel Group Inc.

Markel Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,748 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,402 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $30,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.2% in the third quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 7,471 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,801,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farrow Financial Inc. now owns 2,621 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,386,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. MFG Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $336,000. AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.9% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 21,895 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,932,000 after acquiring an additional 4,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 691.7% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,821 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,658,000 after acquiring an additional 1,591 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Roth Capital reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $781.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $1,019.26 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $451.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.10, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $946.12 and a 200-day moving average of $971.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.87 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.32%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s DoorDash and Uber Eats expansion could add sales, reach younger shoppers and support digital growth without reducing warehouse traffic. Read article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco received approval for a new store at Seacoast Landing in Newington, New Hampshire, with a 2027 opening targeted—supporting longer-term expansion. Read article
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary presents Costco as a durable blue-chip investment and highlights its ability to introduce appealing products, including a coffee offering tied to an emerging trend. These are supportive long-term views, not new financial guidance. Read article Read article
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discuss whether Costco could split its shares in 2027 because the price is above $1,000. A split could improve share accessibility but would not change the company’s underlying value, and no split has been announced. Read article
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs were reported as net sellers of about $75.6 million in COST shares on Oct. 29, which may have contributed to selling pressure; this is backward-looking and does not establish the cause of the latest decline. Read article

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,244.62. This represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total transaction of $1,054,031.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. This trade represents a 26.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.