Strs Ohio Sells 5,863 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Strs Ohio lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 121,931 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,863 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $121,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after buying an additional 165,349 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,919,573,000 after buying an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,212,433,000 after acquiring an additional 107,775 shares in the last quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after acquiring an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco is still expanding its warehouse footprint, with new store plans reported in Florida, South Carolina and Southern California, reinforcing the company’s long-term growth story. Costco plans to build new warehouse in southern Hillsborough County
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain upbeat on Costco’s earnings power, with Erste Group raising FY2027 EPS estimates above consensus, signaling confidence in the retailer’s ability to keep growing profits.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles continue to frame Costco as a strong long-term compounder, supported by its membership model, cash generation, and resilient value proposition for consumers. Costco (COST) Stock Looks Strong On Returns But Expensive On Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Discussion around a possible 2026 stock split is generating attention, but it does not change Costco’s fundamentals and management has historically been cautious about splitting the stock. With Costco Trading Under $1,000, Is a Stock Split Still on the Table for 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: One comparison piece versus Amazon and a holiday-closure story versus Sam’s Club are more about consumer habits and retail strategy than a direct change in Costco’s outlook. Growth Stock Showdown: Is Costco or Amazon the Better Buy Right Now?
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary warns Costco may be expensive on earnings and could face execution risks if fuel-related traffic tailwinds weaken, which could limit upside if growth slows. Costco’s Secret Growth Engine May Be Running Out of Gas

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.45.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $951.67 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $422.05 billion, a PE ratio of 47.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,096.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $991.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $972.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.28 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is an increase from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.