The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Raises Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 14.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 357,156 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,598 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $355,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 907.1% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,539,346,000 after buying an additional 1,607,833 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the 3rd 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 period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Kirkland Signature is emerging as a growth engine. Expanded product offerings, pricing that is generally 15%–20% below national brands, and strong customer loyalty could improve Costco’s differentiation, margins and recurring sales. Costco’s Kirkland Brand Is Becoming a Powerful Growth Engine
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for fourth-quarter earnings are favorable. Wall Street reportedly anticipates a double-digit increase in earnings per share, providing a potential catalyst as investors assess whether Costco can sustain its growth premium. What to Expect From Costco Wholesale’s Q4 2026 Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: Seasonal and ancillary initiatives may support engagement. Record projected back-to-school spending, a trade-in program that provides gift cards for old electronics, and continued interest in Costco’s low-priced gasoline could drive traffic and reinforce the membership value proposition. Costco will take your old tech and gift you a gift card
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor opinions remain divided. Commentary presents Costco as a high-quality retailer that can continue rewarding investors, but also emphasizes recessionary consumer sentiment and a demanding valuation—currently around 48 times earnings—which could limit upside without strong results. Three Top Retail Stocks: Buy, Sell or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel competition could pressure Costco’s traffic advantage. A new 7-Eleven gas discount challenges Costco’s reputation for cheap fuel, particularly as higher gasoline prices constrain household budgets. 7-Eleven has a gas discount that challenges Costco
• Negative Sentiment: Legal overhang persists. Coverage of a $14 million email-promotion settlement and a separate lawsuit alleging heavy metals in Orgain protein powder raises potential reputational, compliance and financial risks, though the reported settlement is unlikely to materially affect Costco’s overall earnings. Costco Customers Could Claim Cash From $14 Million Settlement

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $1,175.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,059.07.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST opened at $951.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $963.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $981.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market cap of $422.01 billion, a PE ratio of 47.87, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.88. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

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.