Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Purchases 8,542 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 17.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,990 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 8,542 shares during the period. Costco Wholesale makes up 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $49,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after buying an additional 26,690 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,195,415,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,937,286 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,395,301,000 after buying an additional 77,650 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,518,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,034,006,000 after acquiring an additional 170,979 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of COST stock opened at $983.37 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $436.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.47, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,006.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $966.09. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,096.50.

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

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were issued a $1.47 dividend. 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 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said investors “buy some here,” reinforcing a bullish view on Costco as a long-term holding despite a tougher consumer backdrop. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported strong May net sales growth, including a 14.5% year-over-year increase, and one article noted digital sales jumped 21% while gas volumes hit a record, signaling healthy demand across key categories. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Costco’s continued membership and traffic strength, with analysts and commentators pointing to upside and strong institutional interest in the stock. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is also drawing attention for ESG and governance reasons after CEO Ron Vachris was recognized for board diversity leadership, which may matter to some investors but is not an immediate earnings driver. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is fighting a class-action lawsuit over its $5 rotisserie chicken, with plaintiffs alleging misleading “no preservatives” marketing, creating a potential reputational and legal overhang. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also suggests Costco may face tougher comparisons in a price-sensitive consumer environment, with rivals like Dollar Tree seen as having a pricing advantage on smaller-pack items. Article title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on COST. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,060.41.

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.