Rathbones Group PLC Purchases 5,866 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Rathbones Group PLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 274,655 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,866 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.9% of Rathbones Group PLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $236,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of COST. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 182.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 536,059 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $462,265,000 after purchasing an additional 346,208 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 112.2% during the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $441,919,000 after purchasing an additional 252,453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,362,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on COST. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,052.60.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,074.01 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,006.08 and a 200-day moving average of $958.67. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,096.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The company has a market cap of $476.48 billion, a PE ratio of 55.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.92.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.02 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 30.58%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Costco to $1,275 and kept a buy rating, signaling confidence that the stock still has room to run ahead of earnings. Benzinga report on UBS target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to back Costco into Q3, with commentary that strong membership renewals and steady traffic may be enough to support another solid quarter even if results are not spectacular. TipRanks article
• Positive Sentiment: Higher gas prices may be steering more shoppers to warehouse clubs like Costco for discounted fuel, which could lift traffic and reinforce the company’s value proposition. Benzinga article on gas-driven traffic
• Positive Sentiment: Recent articles highlighted Costco’s strong 2026 performance, record highs, and speculation about a future stock split, all of which can keep investor enthusiasm elevated. Yahoo Finance article on stock split speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage around new food court items, UK store updates, and Costco being a trending stock may help keep the brand in the spotlight, but these headlines are unlikely to materially change the near-term earnings picture.
• Negative Sentiment: Some traders are taking profits after the stock’s strong recent rally and six-session winning streak, which is contributing to the pullback today. MSN article on pullback after winning streak
• Negative Sentiment: Costco faces a high expectations bar heading into Q3 results, so even a good report could disappoint if it does not exceed the market’s elevated hopes. Yahoo Finance article on high expectations

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.