World Equity Group Inc. Sells 8,333 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

World Equity Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 91.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 812 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,333 shares during the quarter. World Equity Group Inc.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $700,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after purchasing an additional 90,107 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,692,035,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after buying an additional 383,887 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted 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 during the period. Institutional investors 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: Costco is rolling out standalone gas stations, a move that could drive incremental store traffic, strengthen membership value and capture higher-margin fuel sales — a direct lever for same-store sales and member retention. Costco Is Launching Standalone Gas Stations
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates for Costco, lifting forward earnings expectations and underwriting upside to valuation. Upward revisions tend to support sentiment for the stock. Erste Group Raises Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum: Costco snapped a six-session losing streak, signaling a short-term technical rebound that can attract momentum traders and reduce near-term selling pressure. Costco shares snapped six-session losing streak
• Positive Sentiment: Product mix and private-label strength: New Kirkland energy drinks have drawn strong member interest — private-label rollouts boost margin and can pressure branded competitors while enhancing membership value. Costco’s new energy drink delights fans
• Neutral Sentiment: Real estate growth: Costco acquired a Polaris plot to expand its Columbus footprint — steady unit growth supports long-term comp growth but is a gradual driver rather than an immediate catalyst. Costco Grabs Polaris Plot For Bigger Columbus Footprint
• Neutral Sentiment: Market mentions and buy lists: CNBC and other outlets continue to recommend Costco in rotation of retail picks — useful for flows but not a direct earnings driver. Costco on CNBC’s ‘Final Trades’
• Negative Sentiment: Membership-growth & valuation worries persist: Some analysts flag slowing membership adds and a rich multiple, which constrain upside and make the stock more sensitive to execution misses. Analysts Bullish on Costco Despite Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/consumer claims risk: Reports name Costco among targets for consumer tariff refund actions, introducing legal and financial uncertainty if claims gain traction. FedEx, Costco, UPS Main Targets for Consumer Tariff Refunds
• Negative Sentiment: Income-focused ETF product (COST WeeklyPay) can siphon upside: Products that monetize future upside for yield-seeking investors may limit long-term capital appreciation for holders. COSW Sells Away Costco’s Upside

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on COST. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Gordon Haskett upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $979.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $986.29 and a 200-day moving average of $939.17. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08. The stock has a market cap of $434.62 billion, a PE ratio of 50.94, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued 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 business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.02 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.