EHP Funds Inc. Has $1.33 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

EHP Funds Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 188.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,441 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up about 1.2% of EHP Funds Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. EHP Funds Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $1,334,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,141,062,000 after acquiring an additional 90,107 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,692,035,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,145,241 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,911,331,000 after acquiring an additional 34,826 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on COST shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,115.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and membership strength: Costco reported stronger-than-expected FQ2 results (revenue and EPS beats) and management highlighted membership growth and traffic as key drivers, underpinning confidence in recurring fee income and sales momentum. Costco Reports $68.24B FQ2 Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Membership mix and premium sign?ups: Executive membership growth (near 40M members, +~9%) supports higher-margin recurring fee income and may sustain revenue per member. This is a structural tailwind for margins and cash flow. Is a $130 Costco executive membership the new VIP status?
• Positive Sentiment: In?warehouse innovation and product drops: Expanded in?warehouse experiences, curated product drops (e.g., fashion/brand collaborations) and new assortments (including third?party brands like Hiboy e?bikes) are helping traffic and impulse sales. Costco Expands In?Warehouse Experiences Hiboy C1 E?Bike Lands at Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Digital growth and traffic resilience: Management says digital sales and e?commerce expansion remain contributors to growth, but macro headwinds (e.g., energy-driven pressure on discretionary budgets) add uncertainty to near?term sales cadence. Costco Says Shoppers Are Still Spending Rising gas prices could offset tax refunds
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale: An EVP disclosed a sale of ~730 shares; the size is immaterial relative to Costco’s market cap and does not signal a clear change in insider confidence. Executive Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff?refund lawsuits create legal overhang: Multiple proposed class?action suits allege Costco must pass along refunds to customers after the Supreme Court struck down certain Trump?era tariffs; plaintiffs seek substantial recoveries and class status, introducing potential liability, administrative burden and PR risk until resolved. Reuters: Costco customers sue
• Negative Sentiment: Complex legal landscape: Coverage notes the situation is “messy” — Costco has also pursued government action to recover tariff amounts, but parallel suits against the company could keep volatility and headline risk elevated until legal outcomes and any government refunds are clarified. Barron’s: Tariff refunds are getting messy

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $1,008.43 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $975.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $937.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The stock has a market cap of $447.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.44, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.02 EPS. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.04%.

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.