Rep. C. Scott Franklin Sells Off Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST)

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 $1,001 and $15,000 in Costco Wholesale stock on January 28th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "FIDELITY ROTH 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 $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Costco Wholesale NASDAQ: COST on 1/28/2025.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock traded up $16.78 during trading on Monday, reaching $926.04. 2,205,831 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,823,943. Costco Wholesale Co. has a 1-year low of $697.27 and a 1-year high of $1,078.24. The firm has a market cap of $410.87 billion, a PE ratio of 54.38, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The company's fifty day moving average price is $987.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $945.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Roland Michael Vachris sold 3,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 41,077 shares in the company, valued at $38,242,687. The trade was a 8.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $940.00 to $980.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,135.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,029.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,048,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,196,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. SRN Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. SRN Advisors LLC now owns 3,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,823,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Miramar Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Miramar Capital LLC now owns 525 shares of the retailer's stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 55 shares of the retailer's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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.