The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $415.79 Million Stock Holdings in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 24.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 444,473 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 87,317 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $415,793,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,919,573,000 after acquiring an additional 26,690 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 773,651 shares during the period. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $5,195,415,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco plans to open 10 new warehouses over the next two months, supporting long-term membership growth, sales expansion and geographic reach. Costco has 10 new stores opening in the next two months
• Positive Sentiment: E-commerce sales increased 17.9% in August and 20.9% for fiscal 2026, indicating that digital operations are becoming a meaningful additional growth engine alongside Costco’s warehouses. Costco’s E-commerce Momentum Keeps Its Growth Engine Running
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is scheduled to report fiscal fourth-quarter results later this month, making upcoming sales, membership and margin trends important near-term catalysts. Should You Buy Costco Stock Before Sept. 24?
• Negative Sentiment: Costco nearly doubled the price of a 10-quart case of Kirkland Signature motor oil to $57.99 and limited purchases amid an oil-supply crunch. The move highlights inflationary pressure across consumer goods and could weigh on customer sentiment, even though higher prices may protect some revenue. Costco hikes motor oil prices and puts limits on how much members can buy
• Negative Sentiment: RBC expects higher fuel costs to pressure Costco’s core gross margin in the fourth quarter. Tariff refunds may offset much of the impact, but the mixed outlook reinforces concerns about near-term earnings quality. Costco Gross Margin Pressure From Higher Fuel Costs Likely to be Offset by Tariff Refunds, RBC Says

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on COST shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Roth Capital lifted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,056.03.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $901.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $399.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.83 and a beta of 0.86. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $938.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $973.21.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth Denman sold 885 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

The company also provides a variety of ancillary services, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical centers, hearing-aid centers, food courts, tire centers, and travel services.