Strs Ohio Sells 4,051 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Strs Ohio lowered its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 127,794 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,051 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $110,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after buying an additional 165,349 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,911,331,000 after purchasing an additional 34,826 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.5% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,619,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,499,246,000 after purchasing an additional 127,495 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,210,837 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,120,787,000 after purchasing an additional 8,259 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Amy’s Kitchen will roll select frozen meals into more than 150 Costco warehouses across key U.S. markets, expanding fresh/organic assortment and potentially boosting food sales and member engagement. Amy’s Kitchen Lands Costco Distribution in Three Major Markets, Bringing Organic Frozen Meals to Millions of Members
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is hiring ahead of a new Guilderland, NY warehouse opening — a sign of continued unit growth that supports revenue and membership expansion over time. Costco begins hiring as opening of Guilderland warehouse nears
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market pieces highlight Costco’s strong membership metrics and ability to convert members to higher-fee Executive tiers, supporting recurring revenue and margins. This ongoing narrative underpins bullish views despite macro uncertainty. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Costco received recognition in TIME’s influential companies coverage, reinforcing brand strength that supports long-term customer loyalty and pricing power. Costco Wholesale
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail-focused stories on seasonal merchandise and promotions (patio furniture roundups, a Dyson sale) reflect normal merchandising and traffic drivers but are routine and unlikely to move fundamentals by themselves. 9 Costco Patio Dining Furniture Sets To Look For In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco quietly changed elements of its long-standing $1.50 hot dog combo (product tweaks, price intact), a brand-story item that signals attention to costs but keeps the iconic price point. Costco changed the hot dog combo after 40 years. Is it still $1.50? Here’s what to know
• Negative Sentiment: Several pieces question whether COST’s strong YTD performance and premium valuation leave ample upside from current levels, highlighting its high P/E and recent run — a valuation headwind that can pressure the stock if growth expectations slip. Is It Too Late To Consider Costco Wholesale (COST) After Its Strong Year To Date Run?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on COST shares. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,171.00 to $1,088.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,045.97.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,011.70 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,067.08. The company has a market cap of $448.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.61, a PEG ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $996.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $949.91.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company 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.