Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Has $5.19 Million Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 27.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,603 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $5,186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% in the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $9,320,773.08. The trade was a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on COST. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,008.07.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Nike limited-release collaboration is generating social-media hype and high resale prices, driving earned awareness and foot traffic that could boost sales and membership perception. Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target to $1,000 (from $890) — a signal that some sell?side analysts see further upside even as the firm kept a neutral rating. That can support investor confidence. Rothschild & Co Redburn adjusts PT on Costco Wholesale to $1,000
• Positive Sentiment: New member-facing services (online/custom cake ordering and popular new food-court items) are incremental revenue drivers and improve the value proposition for members. These rollouts support same-store engagement and ancillary sales. Costco unveiling online cake ordering
• Positive Sentiment: New club openings (example: a $62M Costco in a small Texas town) expand capacity and membership growth opportunities in underpenetrated markets. Tiny Texas town gears up for spring opening of $62M Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is paying dividends this February — a reminder of shareholder income support, but the payout is small relative to market cap and not a major valuation lever. Costco is Paying Dividends in February
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes COST underperformed while the broader market improved, highlighting near-term sentiment pressure despite longer-term fundamentals. Useful for traders assessing rotation risk. Costco (COST) Stock Declines While Market Improves
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is issuing refunds and recalling certain restaurant gift cards after an issuer bankruptcy/program closure — this creates short-term refund liability, member inconvenience and potential revenue timing issues. Costco to issue refunds for Synergy gift card program closure Costco Is Recalling Gift Cards Issued for Hundreds of Restaurants
• Negative Sentiment: Class-action lawsuits allege Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses a salmonella risk — legal exposure and negative PR could pressure margins and traffic if issues widen or lead to recalls. Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Company confirmation of strict entrance/exit store rules may harm in-store convenience and shopper throughput, a modest negative for traffic and member experience. Costco Confirms Strict Entrance and Exit Rules

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $996.08 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $442.13 billion, a PE ratio of 53.35, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,067.08. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $930.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $933.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect 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, February 13th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 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.