Whittier Trust Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 4.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 67,317 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,701 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $68,565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Palisade Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC now owns 702 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 3,194 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,754,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Wealth Effects LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Effects LLC now owns 874 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $871,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 551 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,041 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,760,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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: Costco is expanding its footprint with several new warehouse openings and planned locations across the U.S., which could support membership growth and future revenue. Costco to Open New Stores Across the U.S.: Full List of Locations
• Positive Sentiment: New store approvals in California and other regions suggest Costco’s growth runway remains intact, even if some local residents are pushing back. New Costco approved in California, but some locals say location is ‘unnecessary’
• Positive Sentiment: Costco began alcohol sales at a Pennsylvania store, another example of incremental in-store offerings that can increase traffic and basket size. Costco Wholesale begins alcohol sales at Pennsylvania store
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles on a possible special dividend and a potential stock split are mostly speculative; they may interest shareholders, but they do not appear to be the main near-term driver of the stock. Will Costco Pay a Special Dividend in 2026? Here’s What History Says.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to debate Costco’s valuation, noting strong long-term returns but also that the stock looks expensive on earnings, which can cap upside. Costco (COST) Stock Looks Strong On Returns But Expensive On Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: One recent analysis said Costco’s growth engine may be losing momentum as lower fuel prices could reduce a key traffic driver and create execution risk for the stock. Costco’s secret growth engine may be running out of gas
• Negative Sentiment: Another report highlighted that Costco has underperformed the broader market over the past three months, reflecting investor concern about its premium valuation. Why Costco Stock (COST) Underperformed the S&P 500 Over the Past 3 Months

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on COST shares. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,061.45.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $951.67 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $990.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $973.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $422.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.58%.

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.