Vestcor Inc Purchases 1,159 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Vestcor Inc increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,667 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,159 shares during the quarter. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $19,130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the second quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Busey Bank grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the third quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $916,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Optima Capital LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.9% in the third quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

COST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,050.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,035.35.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco posted a Q2 earnings beat (EPS $4.58 vs. $4.55 est.) and raised sales, reinforcing the company’s resilient sales and margins — this helped lift sentiment. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.6% After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson (and other brokers) lifted several price targets — the largest raise reported pushes the target to $1,315, signaling bullish long-term estimates from at least one shop. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target Raised to $1,315.00
• Positive Sentiment: Additional analyst target increases ($1,125 / $1,100 / $1,060 / $977 reported) add to bullish bias from some firms, supporting upside expectations. Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target Raised to $1,125.00
• Positive Sentiment: Management said potential tariff refunds from a federal trade court ruling would likely be passed to members via lower prices — this could reinforce Costco’s value proposition and membership retention. Costco Tariff Refunds Could Reinforce Low Prices And Membership Value
• Positive Sentiment: Local expansion: Port St. Lucie is moving closer to landing a Costco store — continued steady store growth underpins long-term sales runway. Port St. Lucie moves closer to landing a Costco retail store
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson reiterated a Neutral rating (limits immediate upside despite higher targets from other houses). Costco Wholesale’s (COST) Neutral Rating Reiterated at DA Davidson
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi maintained a Neutral rating with a $1,000 target — a sign some large brokers see limited near-term multiple expansion. Citi Maintains Neutral Rating on Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) with $1000 Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Discussion around a potential stock split and new residential/warehouse concepts are being debated by commentators — interesting for liquidity/strategy but not immediate catalysts. Costco’s $1,000 Price Tag Makes A Stock Split Hard To Ignore
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cut its price target to $1,088, signaling some analyst skepticism on upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Cuts Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $1,088.00
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: BJ’s and other warehouse rivals are stepping up strategies to lure shoppers, which could pressure market share or margins in certain regions. BJ’s Wholesale makes bold move to lure more shoppers

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $998.10 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $443.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $961.64 and a 200-day moving average of $935.32.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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. 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.