Whittier Trust Co. Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 63,834 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $58,433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Peterson Wealth Services raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,616 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,479,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.5% in the second quarter. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI now owns 16,888 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,718,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the third quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at approximately $874,000. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,640,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Costco to report strong fiscal Q2 results, with previews calling for double-digit profit growth — investors view this as confirmation of resilient demand and margin stability. Earnings Preview: What to Expect From Costco Wholesale’s Report
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst pieces argue Costco remains a buy for 2026 and beyond, emphasizing membership retention, steady sales/profit growth and defensive consumer-staples characteristics. This supportive coverage helps underpin the rally. Is Costco Stock a Buy in 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s membership perks continue to be a strategic growth lever — coverage highlights a past controversial perk and four new 2026 benefits aimed at boosting member value and retention, which supports long-term revenue visibility. Costco Introduced a Controversial Perk Last Year — and It Plans to Follow This Up With 4 New Benefits in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Operational/UX improvements: reporting says Costco is adopting a tech upgrade used by competitors to improve the member experience — a potential driver of basket size and visit frequency. Costco borrows tech upgrade from competitor to boost member experience
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail buzz and product-level popularity (popular Costco finds, wholesale flowers) are helping brand engagement but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. ‘I’ve Been Using This Stuff Every Day For About 2 Years’
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading/technical interest: a pattern-trade roundup lists Costco as a top seasonal idea (speculative short‑term upside), which can attract momentum traders but isn’t a fundamental endorsement. 5 Best Pattern Trades for This Quarter
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish/critical takes: Seeking Alpha published pieces urging caution or a sell-the-rally stance, arguing the strong start may be short‑lived — these raise concerns about near-term momentum and give some investors reason to lock in gains. Costco: Strong Start To 2026 Likely Short-Lived
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions: coverage assessing Costco’s rich P/E highlights risk that upside is limited unless earnings justify the premium — a key watch for longer‑term investors. Assessing Whether Costco Wholesale (COST) Deserves Its Rich P/E
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider activity: a disclosed sale of 458 shares by an executive may be viewed as a small negative signal, though the sale size is immaterial relative to the company’s scale. Susan Decker Sells 458 Shares of Costco Wholesale

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of COST opened at $983.25 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $900.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $929.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $436.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.66, a PEG ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $900.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

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.