Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 9,636 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,106,319 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,636 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up approximately 0.6% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.25% of Costco Wholesale worth $1,024,042,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd 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 period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded COST to Outperform and raised its price target to $1,000, saying the recent pullback is overdone — a clear catalyst for buying interest. Costco (COST) Added to Mizuho Top Picks After Pullback
• Positive Sentiment: Company sales momentum: reports show two key sales metrics accelerated recently, which supports revenue growth and membership retention assumptions used by investors. 2 Key Costco Sales Metrics Just Accelerated, and Investors Love It. Time to Buy Shares?
• Positive Sentiment: Costco added a material credit-card perk quietly — can boost card-linked spending and loyalty, incremental to transaction trends. Costco quietly added a major credit card perk
• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing expansion: plans for a new warehouse under an affordable-housing project in South LA and a confirmed Dallas‑area opening signal steady real-estate-led growth of selling footprint. Costco to open new warehouse under affordable housing development in South Los Angeles Costco Wholesale solidifies opening date for $22M Dallas-area store
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term thesis pieces reiterate Costco’s durable model and ask where the business will be in five years — supportive narrative but not an immediate earnings surprise. Where Will Costco Be in 5 Years?
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyses (Costco vs. Home Depot) highlight Costco’s steady same‑store sales and defensive characteristics versus cyclical peers—useful for positioning but not an immediate catalyst. Best Stock to Buy Right Now: Costco vs. Home Depot
• Neutral Sentiment: Miscellaneous/consumer interest items (new product initiatives like gold sales, membership Q&A, Reddit crowd anecdotes) increase brand engagement but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Why Costco selling gold is “a big deal.” Can You Really Add Another Person To Your Costco Membership?

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total transaction of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,817,966.10. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total value of $1,776,913.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on COST. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, HSBC reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.0%

COST stock opened at $924.88 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $410.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.54, a P/E/G ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,078.23. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $892.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $931.08. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The company 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 was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.04 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

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.