New York State Common Retirement Fund Lowers Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

New York State Common Retirement Fund reduced its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 517,488 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 42,300 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 0.6% of New York State Common Retirement Fund’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $479,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 2,206 shares during the period. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 975.0% during the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 72.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 43 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Finally, Marquette Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $8,792,849.10. This represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 9,315 shares of company stock valued at $8,549,409 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $960.78 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $426.46 billion, a PE ratio of 51.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.81 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $904.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $929.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.04 earnings per share. Equities 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued 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 payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company confirmed its next quarterly dividend payment (payable Feb. 13), supporting income-focused demand and signaling management confidence in cash flow. Dividend Payment
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage consensus is an average rating of “Moderate Buy,” which can support further inflows from institutional and model-based investors. Brokerage Ratings
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile market commentators remain bullish — Jim Cramer reiterated his positive stance, which can buoy retail investor sentiment. Cramer Commentary
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and research pieces highlight Costco as a long-term momentum/growth name with a cash-rich balance sheet and pricing power (membership revenue and low leverage), supporting resilience versus retail headwinds. Balance Sheet Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Published short-interest data appears anomalous (zero shares / NaN changes and 0.0 days-to-cover), suggesting a data glitch rather than a true change in bearish positioning — treat with caution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some lifestyle/retail features (e.g., gold-bar returns, rare whiskey coverage) keep the brand visible and may modestly boost traffic, but these are unlikely to move valuation materially. Gold Bar Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Several outlets report a federal lawsuit alleging Costco misled shoppers about ingredients in its rotisserie chickens (claims over “preservative-free” labeling). Legal risk and potential reputational damage are the main near-term negatives and likely explain downward pressure on the stock today. Investor-Focused Lawsuit Coverage NYPost Lawsuit Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Gordon Haskett lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $900.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.