Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Lowers Stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lowered its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 48,448 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,392 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $44,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Peterson Wealth Services raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,499,000 after buying an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $874,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on 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. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. HSBC lowered their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Hovde Group initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,009.00.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target to $1,050 and kept an “outperform” rating — a formal analyst upgrade that supports further upside. Evercore price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan/other Wall Street commentary flagged upside potential for COST, reinforcing analyst conviction and likely supporting buying interest. JPMorgan analyst says stock expected to rise
• Positive Sentiment: Local development news shows continued footprint expansion (Sanford Seminole Towne Center), which supports sales growth and long?term comp opportunities. Sanford Costco development
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting the stock’s YTD momentum and bullish price targets (including speculative $1,200 debate) can attract momentum traders and retail buyers. Can COST hit $1,200?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor discussion about potential special dividends keeps yield-focused investors interested — a visible catalyst ahead of earnings that could lift the stock if management signals payouts. Special dividend speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: Short?interest postings show effectively zero reported short interest (odd/possibly stale data), so short squeeze risk appears minimal based on current figures. (No external link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting regional store features (e.g., outdoor food courts) and the Costco Pharmacy provide consumer interest/brand goodwill but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Members in awe of regional stores Costco Pharmacy explainer
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research sites (Zacks, Yahoo/MarketBeat summaries) are flagging COST as a trending/bullish name — useful context for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Zacks trending stock note Are analysts bullish?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some third?party gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless represent a reputational/headline risk and could prompt short?term customer concern. Worthless gift cards report
• Negative Sentiment: Recall alerts tied to products with “severe” reactions are a near?term operational/headline negative that could press sentiment until resolved. Recall update

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $978.14 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $434.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.39, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $918.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $931.46.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.04 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

About Costco Wholesale

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.