Raiffeisen Bank International AG Has $4.45 Million Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its stake in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 67.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 4,857 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,948 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,454,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $34,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Supreme Court tariff ruling could benefit Costco financially and reputationally—companies that filed early suits, including Costco, may have an edge collecting refunds and avoiding passed‑on tariffs, which supports margins and customer PR. Fortune: With Trump’s tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, Costco stands to win big
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and sell‑side attention is bullish: Rothschild & Co Redburn published a note forecasting strong price appreciation for COST, which can attract buyers and support sentiment. American Banking News: Rothschild & Co Redburn Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Costco
• Positive Sentiment: High‑visibility brand moves: a limited Nike partnership generated buzz and social resale demand, boosting marketing momentum and potential traffic to warehouses. Motley Fool: Why Nike Partnering with Costco Is Actually a Genius Move
• Neutral Sentiment: Options flow and trading ideas: some outlets are promoting short‑term bullish option strategies on COST, indicating retail and options traders are active but not changing fundamentals. Investors Business Daily: Bull Put Spread Idea
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notices in the feed show large increases but report zero shares and 0.0 days (likely a data/reporting error); not meaningful for immediate positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: Food‑safety litigation: a class‑action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses a salmonella risk—legal exposure and reputational damage could pressure sales in affected categories. MyNorthwest: Class-action lawsuit alleges Costco’s rotisserie chicken poses salmonella risk
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headline hits: Costco is issuing refunds and recalling certain gift cards after a program closure, and it dropped an Asheville store proposal citing cost/requirements—both are modest near‑term costs and may dent local expansion sentiment. Yahoo: Costco drops Asheville proposal due to requirements, costs Yahoo: Costco Is Recalling Gift Cards Issued for Hundreds of Restaurants

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,008.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This trade represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $985.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $934.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $934.47. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,067.08. The company has a market capitalization of $437.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.77, a P/E/G ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

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.