Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Bought by ZEGA Investments LLC

ZEGA Investments LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 135.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,603 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,240 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 1.6% of ZEGA Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. ZEGA Investments LLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $11,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of 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 position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,124,263,000 after acquiring an additional 150,844 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: December sales/same-store strength — Costco reported strong December sales and accelerating comps (digital sales up sharply), a key driver for renewed investor buying and higher traffic/ticket trends. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgrade — Mizuho moved COST to its top-picks list and upgraded the stock to Outperform with a higher price target (~$1,000), which supports buying interest from institutional and retail investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New card perk — A newly reported credit-card perk for Costco members could lift transaction volume and loyalty over time, supporting same-store sales and margins. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion visible on the ground — Local reports (e.g., Camarillo) show continued warehouse/gas station construction, underscoring ongoing footprint growth that supports membership and revenue expansion. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and valuation — Consensus remains generally bullish (average target ~ $996) but the stock trades at a premium (P/E ~50), meaning upside depends on continued sales/margin strength rather than multiple expansion. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term features — Several opinion pieces reiterate Costco’s long-term case (membership model, international expansion) but add no new near-term catalysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data glitch — A short-interest report flagged a “significant increase” but shows zero shares/days-to-cover, suggesting a data error rather than genuine short pressure; treat headlines cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares (~$1.37M) on Jan. 9, cutting his stake by ~15.4%; while small relative to institutional ownership, insider sales can be perceived negatively by some traders. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COST. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $996.00.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at $9,320,773.08. This trade represents a 16.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,860,260. This represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,446 shares of company stock valued at $9,549,528. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of COST opened at $943.08 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $892.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $930.80. The stock has a market cap of $418.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.51, a P/E/G ratio of 5.54 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.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 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.