Korea Investment CORP Sells 34,298 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Korea Investment CORP reduced its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 9.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 319,518 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 34,298 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale makes up about 0.5% of Korea Investment CORP’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $275,533,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in COST. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,781,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,835,000 after purchasing an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.5% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,098,000 after purchasing an additional 27,625 shares during the period. Curtis Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 399,894 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $370,140,000 after purchasing an additional 5,937 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lifted its FY2026 and FY2027 earnings forecasts for Costco, signaling expectations for stronger profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary in 24/7 Wall St. emphasized Costco’s membership-fee model as a resilient source of recurring revenue that can support long-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Barchart coverage noted Costco as one of the retail names rewarding shareholders with a higher dividend, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage that Costco offers shopping without a membership in limited cases is mainly informational and not likely to materially affect the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: The Iowa court decision involving a former Costco manager appears to be a legal headline with limited direct impact on the company’s overall financial outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Bloomberg reported rising plastic input costs may lead to higher prices for consumer goods later this year, which could add inflation pressure to Costco’s retail environment and potentially squeeze margins or demand.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST opened at $982.35 on Friday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,005.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $966.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $435.65 billion, a PE ratio of 49.41, a PEG ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 29.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on COST. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,050.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,060.41.

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.