Inspire Trust Co. N.A. Boosts Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 35.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,600 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A.’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $4,258,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Heartland Bank & Trust Co increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 24.0% during the third quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 1,486 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 674 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $618,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Siligmueller & Norvid Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth $954,000. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.1% in the third quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 1,170 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tredje AP fonden purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at about $14,494,000. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on COST. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,008.07.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $985.27 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $934.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $934.47. The company has a market capitalization of $437.33 billion, a PE ratio of 52.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.04 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total transaction of $437,390.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. This trade represents a 5.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale 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.