Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Position Increased by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 10.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 118,071 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,180 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $109,167,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in COST. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,781,946,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 31.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $22,359,224,000 after purchasing an additional 5,749,362 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $2,362,188,000. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 103,637.0% in the second quarter. Ascentis Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,500,062 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,549,616,000 after purchasing an additional 2,497,652 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth $726,689,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s DoorDash and Uber Eats expansion could add sales, reach younger shoppers and support digital growth without reducing warehouse traffic. Read article
• Positive Sentiment: Costco received approval for a new store at Seacoast Landing in Newington, New Hampshire, with a 2027 opening targeted—supporting longer-term expansion. Read article
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary presents Costco as a durable blue-chip investment and highlights its ability to introduce appealing products, including a coffee offering tied to an emerging trend. These are supportive long-term views, not new financial guidance. Read article Read article
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discuss whether Costco could split its shares in 2027 because the price is above $1,000. A split could improve share accessibility but would not change the company’s underlying value, and no split has been announced. Read article
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs were reported as net sellers of about $75.6 million in COST shares on Oct. 29, which may have contributed to selling pressure; this is backward-looking and does not establish the cause of the latest decline. Read article

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $958.21, for a total value of $1,054,031.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 3,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,964,701.74. This trade represents a 26.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total transaction of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,175.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,086.19.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $1,019.26 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $451.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.85. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $946.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $971.09.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.87 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 22.70 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.32%.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells merchandise in bulk and at competitive prices through warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms, serving individual consumers, businesses and other organizations.

Its product selection includes groceries and fresh foods, household supplies, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, health and beauty products, jewelry, automotive products and prescription drugs. Costco also provides services such as optical care, pharmacy services, hearing-aid sales, travel offerings and fuel sales, depending on location.

The company traces its roots to Price Club, which opened in San Diego in 1976.