Whittier Trust Co. Has $53.09 Million Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Whittier Trust Co. lessened its position in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 17.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 55,870 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11,447 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $53,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,212,433,000 after buying an additional 107,775 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,488,203,000 after buying an additional 773,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after buying an additional 6,720,130 shares during the period. 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: Market-share gains in Canada: Costco is now Canada’s second-largest grocery store chain, indicating continued customer adoption and potential for international growth. Costco Wholesale Is Now Canada’s Second Largest Grocery Store Chain
• Positive Sentiment: Resilient value proposition: Analysts continue to highlight Costco’s ability to attract and retain members through low prices, including inexpensive gasoline. This value positioning could support demand as consumers remain selective. Retail Stocks Poised for an Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion remains a growth driver: Seven additional U.S. locations are planned for 2026, adding warehouse capacity and supporting membership and sales growth over time. Seven New Costco Locations Coming in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Tariff-refund uncertainty: Costco says it will return tariff-related refunds to customers, but the timing and mechanics remain unclear. The policy may reinforce customer goodwill, although refunds could create temporary administrative and cash-flow considerations. Costco Tariff Refunds
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational and competitive updates: Costco will close U.S. warehouses on September 7 for Labor Day, while rival BJ’s continues expanding. These developments are unlikely to materially change near-term earnings but highlight ongoing competitive dynamics. Costco Labor Day Closure
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern: Despite a recent pullback, Costco’s roughly 48-times P/E ratio leaves limited room for execution misses. Moderating sales growth and potential margin pressure could keep investors cautious, particularly after the latest quarter narrowly missed EPS expectations. Is Costco Stock Worth Buying Now or Still Too Pricey to Touch?

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $961.05 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $949.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $981.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $426.21 billion, a PE ratio of 48.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Investors of record on Friday, July 24th were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Roth Capital upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,059.53.

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.