World Investment Advisors Raises Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,521 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,702 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors’ holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $17,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,141,062,000 after buying an additional 90,107 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,124,263,000 after buying an additional 150,844 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth about $5,692,035,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the first quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 4,332,009 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,097,127,000 after buying an additional 18,045 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $872.75 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $904.70 and a 200 day moving average of $940.94. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The company has a market cap of $387.39 billion, a PE ratio of 46.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.00. 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 (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price objective for the company. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $992.08.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quality metrics and legal positioning strengthen fundamentals — Benzinga reports Costco’s Quality score jumped after a Q1 beat, and the company’s legal stance against proposed tariffs drew attention, supporting the narrative of resilient margins and strong governance. Costco Tops Quality Rankings Amid Q1 Beat And Bold Legal Stance Against Trump’s Tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / bullish retail takes highlight long-term case — a Yahoo piece lays out four reasons to invest in Costco for 2026, reinforcing investor interest in membership economics, steady comps, international expansion and cash generation. 4 Reasons You Should Invest in Costco Stock in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: New real estate growth — local reporting confirms a Costco project in Macon slated to open summer 2027, reflecting ongoing store footprint expansion that supports revenue growth and membership gains over time. Costco project in Macon to open summer 2027 | Here’s what we know
• Positive Sentiment: Contrarian technical/valuation note — a MarketBeat piece flags COST as a “rare pullback” with solid fundamentals despite recent share weakness, which can attract value-oriented and contrarian buyers. Costco Wholesale Corp (COST) listing and commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Holiday-hours coverage (Christmas Eve/Day) — multiple outlets (USA Today, Axios, MSN) published store-hours guides reminding investors of shortened hours/closures; operationally routine and unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Is Costco open or closed on Christmas Day 2025? Here’s what to know
• Neutral Sentiment: Market comparisons and macro retail context — Zacks and other outlets compare Costco with Walmart and broader holiday-sales commentary; useful for sentiment framing but not immediately company-specific. Walmart vs. Costco: Which Retail Giant Wins Today’s Consumer Race?
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data appears anomalous — a report shows zero recorded short interest and a 0.0 days ratio, which reads as a data/filing quirk rather than a fresh market signal. Investors should verify from official exchanges before drawing conclusions. Short interest report (data appears anomalous)
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressures in Texas — BJ’s Wholesale Club is expanding aggressively in Texas, posing localized competitive risk that could pressure market share or membership growth in contested regions. BJ’s Wholesale Club challenges Costco in major Texas expansion effort

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at $8,912,100. This trade represents a 25.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,720 shares of company stock valued at $9,010,257 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.