Touchstone Capital Inc. Purchases New Shares in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Touchstone Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 857 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $794,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $5,692,035,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 418,980.3% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 2,359,422 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,335,686,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358,859 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,364,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after purchasing an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.1%

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $941.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $418.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.45, a P/E/G ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $892.90 and a 200 day moving average of $930.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

COST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho set a $1,000.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $996.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total transaction of $2,232,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,860,260. The trade was a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,446 shares of company stock valued at $9,549,528. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Accelerating sales and e‑commerce: December sales and comp trends showed solid growth, with digital-enabled sales surging and average ticket size rising — supporting the thesis that Costco’s membership model and digital initiatives are driving higher traffic and spend. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2-key-costco-sales-metrics-222600868.html
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Mizuho added COST to a top‑picks list and upgraded the name after the pullback, which can attract institutional flows and retail buyers. https://talkmarkets.com/content/stocks–equities/costco-wholesale-sees-mizuho-upgrade-after-pullback?post=549645
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion and product placements: Reports of new warehouse builds (e.g., Camarillo) and grocery / frozen-product features, plus partnerships (Quicklly launching products at Costco) support revenue/membership growth over time. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/costco-opening-6-new-warehouses-across-3-states/ar-AA1U8tTm https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/quicklly-achieves-a-major-nationwide-milestone-with-landmark-costco-and-1126379
• Positive Sentiment: Investor rotation into defensive consumer names: ETF coverage has highlighted Costco as a beneficiary of uneven consumer spending in 2026, which can lift demand for the stock in risk‑off flows. https://www.benzinga.com/etfs/sector-etfs/26/01/49880590/k-shaped-economy-etfs
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and marketing mentions: lifestyle and product stories (e.g., Costco frozen foods features) are positive for brand but are low‑impact for near‑term stock moves. https://www.msn.com/en-us/food-and-drink/recipes/9-frozen-foods-from-costco-that-could-pass-for-homemade/ar-AA1U9AXA
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive / sector pieces: coverage of other retail ideas (e.g., PriceSmart) provides comparative context for investors but doesn’t directly change Costco’s fundamentals. https://www.marketbeat.com/originals/pricesmarts-base-case-calls-for-45-in-upsidebull-case-is-better/
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares (Form 4 filing), trimming his position — insider sales can spook some investors even when small versus market cap. SEC filing: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/909832/000090983226000004/xslF345X05/form4.xml Coverage: https://www.americanbankingnews.com/?p=30549394 https://www.insidertrades.com/alerts/nasdaq-cost-insider-buying-and-selling-2026-01-13/
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and skeptical commentary: several feature pieces note Costco now trades at a premium (~50x earnings) versus peers and argue that this rich valuation raises downside risk if sales momentum cools. https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/01/14/read-this-before-buying-costco-stock-for-the-long/

Costco Wholesale 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.