Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Sold Rep. C. Scott Franklin

Representative C. Scott Franklin (R-Florida) recently sold shares of Costco Wholesale Co. NASDAQ: COST. In a filing disclosed on March 18th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $50,001 and $100,000 in Costco Wholesale stock on January 28th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "FIDELITY TRADITIONAL IRA" account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Amazon.com NASDAQ: AMZN on 2/26/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com NASDAQ: AMZN on 2/26/2025.
• Purchased $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Lockheed Martin NYSE: LMT on 2/18/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Lockheed Martin NYSE: LMT on 2/18/2025.
• Sold $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 in shares of The Baldwin Insurance Group NASDAQ: BWIN on 2/7/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of The Baldwin Insurance Group NASDAQ: BWIN on 2/6/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Costco Wholesale NASDAQ: COST on 1/28/2025.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.8 %

COST traded up $16.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $926.04. The stock had a trading volume of 2,205,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,823,943. The stock has a market capitalization of $410.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 52 week low of $697.27 and a 52 week high of $1,078.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $987.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $945.45.

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Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.09 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.02 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.93% and a return on equity of 32.31%. On average, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Co. will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is 27.09%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the 4th quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

COST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $1,075.00 price target (up from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $995.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,070.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $931.00, for a total transaction of $3,351,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,242,687. This trade represents a 8.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.18% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida's 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012. Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin's career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.