Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 61,308 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $56,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 4,374 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,048,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 10,993 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,074,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Fingerlakes Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $359,000. Fjell Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% in the third quarter. Fjell Capital LLC now owns 2,528 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,340,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trueblood Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.8% during the third quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,725 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,597,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-released December sales: net sales of $29.86B (up 8.5% yr/yr) and companywide comps +7.0%, with digitally-enabled sales up ~19%. This is the primary driver for the bullish move. Costco Reports December Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: E-commerce acceleration: online/digitally-enabled sales jumped ~18–19% in December, boosting margins and omnichannel momentum that investors favor. Costco Stock Jumps as Online Sales Growth Reaches 18% in December
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upgrades (Mizuho, Deutsche Bank mentions, Telsey reaffirming outperform) are lifting sentiment and providing upside to price targets. Costco Upgraded at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Political/tariff developments: betting markets and reports increasingly price in relief from new tariffs — a potential tailwind for Costco’s import-heavy model. Betting Markets Predict 75% Chance Supreme Court Blocks Trump Tariffs
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion: city-level site news (Greenbrier Mall) signals ongoing real-estate pipeline but is not material yet to national results. Costco Could Be Coming to Greenbrier Mall
• Neutral Sentiment: Street commentary: portfolio managers and media guests (Wall Street Alliance video backing Costco) highlight execution focus — supportive but not a direct earnings catalyst. Aadil Zaman Backs Costco
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: outlets warn Costco trades near elevated multiples after years of outperformance, suggesting limited upside if growth slows — a short-term headwind for multiples. How Retailer Costco Can Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Media critique: high-profile commentator Jim Cramer said COST “should be repudiated this quarter,” which can amplify short-term selling despite longer-term bullish data. Jim Cramer: Costco Should be Repudiated

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $924.88 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $410.53 billion, a PE ratio of 49.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.02. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $892.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $931.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.85%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total value of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $8,792,849.10. This represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total transaction of $2,526,336.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on COST. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Gordon Haskett lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 1st. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

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.