Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Has $5.19 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,603 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,186,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth about $35,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Nike limited-release collaboration is generating social-media hype and high resale prices, driving earned awareness and foot traffic that could boost sales and membership perception. Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target to $1,000 (from $890) — a signal that some sell‑side analysts see further upside even as the firm kept a neutral rating. That can support investor confidence. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts PT on Costco Wholesale to $1,000
• Positive Sentiment: New member-facing services (online/custom cake ordering and popular new food-court items) are incremental revenue drivers and improve the value proposition for members. These rollouts support same-store engagement and ancillary sales. Costco unveiling online cake ordering
• Positive Sentiment: New club openings (example: a $62M Costco in a small Texas town) expand capacity and membership growth opportunities in underpenetrated markets. Tiny Texas town gears up for spring opening of $62M Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is paying dividends this February — a reminder of shareholder income support, but the payout is small relative to market cap and not a major valuation lever. Costco is Paying Dividends in February
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes COST underperformed while the broader market improved, highlighting near-term sentiment pressure despite longer-term fundamentals. Useful for traders assessing rotation risk. Costco (COST) Stock Declines While Market Improves
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is issuing refunds and recalling certain restaurant gift cards after an issuer bankruptcy/program closure — this creates short-term refund liability, member inconvenience and potential revenue timing issues. Costco to issue refunds for Synergy gift card program closure Costco Is Recalling Gift Cards Issued for Hundreds of Restaurants
• Negative Sentiment: Class-action lawsuits allege Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses a salmonella risk — legal exposure and negative PR could pressure margins and traffic if issues widen or lead to recalls. Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Company confirmation of strict entrance/exit store rules may harm in-store convenience and shopper throughput, a modest negative for traffic and member experience. Costco Confirms Strict Entrance and Exit Rules

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on COST shares. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,008.07.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $996.08 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $930.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $933.95. The company has a market cap of $442.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.35, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.04 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

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.