State Street Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 31.7% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares during the quarter. State Street Corp owned 0.05% of Costco Wholesale worth $22,359,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,781,946,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $2,362,188,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on COST shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,144.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,160.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,030.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,091.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 4th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,052.65.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST traded up $2.76 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $901.24. 791,601 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,175,244. The company has a market cap of $399.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.86. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $935.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $970.20. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th were paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings could provide a near-term catalyst. Wall Street expects investors to focus on revenue, comparable-store sales, membership trends, traffic, and margins. Recent coverage suggests Costco’s top-line performance is likely to be solid, while the key question is whether results and guidance can justify its premium valuation. Costco Q4 earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Nationwide DoorDash delivery expands Costco’s convenience offering. Same-day delivery is now available from all U.S. Costco warehouses, potentially increasing member engagement, digital sales, and shopping frequency. The benefit must be weighed against delivery-related costs and fees. Costco nationwide same-day delivery
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion remains a long-term growth support. Reports that Costco plans to open 10 U.S. stores over the next two months point to continued warehouse expansion and additional membership and sales opportunities. Costco store expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Popular food-court items are returning for a limited time. The return of Costco’s twisted churro and other fan-favorite offerings may reinforce customer loyalty and traffic, but the financial impact is likely too small to materially affect the stock. Retail stocks face key tests
• Negative Sentiment: High valuation leaves little room for disappointment. With a P/E above 45, Costco needs strong comparable sales, membership growth, and profitability to support its share price. Analysts also warn that the stock is approaching bear-market territory, increasing sensitivity to an earnings miss or cautious outlook. Costco stock and earnings outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Higher interest rates could pressure discretionary spending and valuation multiples. Costco, Walmart, and Target are being assessed against a more challenging consumer and interest-rate backdrop, which could weigh on spending and make premium-priced retail stocks less attractive. Fed rate hike impact on retailers

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

The company also provides a variety of ancillary services, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical centers, hearing-aid centers, food courts, tire centers, and travel services.