During the third quarter, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation by 22.3%, acquiring an additional 4,594 shares to bring its total holdings to 25,173 shares valued at $23.3 million. Other institutional investors followed suit: Brighton Jones LLC added 2,172 shares in Q4 to reach 19,825 shares ($18.2 million), Revolve Wealth Partners LLC bought 130 shares to hold 1,123 shares ($1.03 million), Clark Capital Management Group Inc. lifted its position by 840 shares to 7,696 shares ($7.28 million) in Q1, DnB Asset Management AS acquired 20,206 shares for a total of 109,788 shares ($103.8 million) in Q1, and Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake by 75 shares to 12,606 shares ($11.9 million) in Q1. Collectively, institutional investors and hedge funds now own 68.48% of the company’s shares.

For the quarter ended December 11th, Costco reported earnings per share of $4.34, exceeding consensus estimates by $0.07, and generated revenue of $67.31 billion, beating expectations by $0.28 billion. Revenue growth of 8.3% year-over-year was driven by broad strength in groceries, household goods and ancillary services such as pharmacy and travel. Return on equity stood at 29.35%, while net margin was 2.96%. Analysts project full-year EPS of 18.03, reflecting confidence in continued high-volume, low-margin sales under the membership model.

Costco declared and paid a quarterly dividend of $1.30 to shareholders of record on October 31st, representing an annualized payout of $5.20 and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The company’s dividend payout ratio remains conservative at 27.85%, underscoring ample retained earnings to support reinvestment in warehouses, supply chain enhancements and membership fee growth.

Among research firms covering Costco, 19 maintain Buy ratings, 13 hold at Neutral, and one has a Sell opinion, yielding an average consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of 992.08. In recent insider moves, Executive Vice President William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares at an average price of 930.13, reducing his position by 54.6%, while Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares at an average of 934.62, trimming her holding by 19.4%. Total insider dispositions in the last quarter amounted to 8,946 shares worth approximately 8.18 million.