Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Cuts Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its position in Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 48,448 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,392 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale accounts for approximately 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $44,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ICW Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,590 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,175,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 65,057 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $60,219,000 after buying an additional 7,100 shares in the last quarter. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 58.2% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse Des Depots ET Consignations now owns 7,190 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,655,000 after buying an additional 2,645 shares during the last quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 39.6% in the third quarter. PFG Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 388 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Drake & Associates LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.2% during the third quarter. Drake & Associates LLC now owns 4,223 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,949,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,792,849.10. The trade was a 5.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total value of $1,374,480.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,240 shares in the company, valued at $7,550,476.80. This trade represents a 15.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on COST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Raymond James Financial cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,009.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $978.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $434.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.39, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $918.42 and a 200 day moving average of $931.46. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.04 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.85%.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Evercore ISI raised its price target to $1,050 and kept an “outperform” rating — a formal analyst upgrade that supports further upside. Evercore price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan/other Wall Street commentary flagged upside potential for COST, reinforcing analyst conviction and likely supporting buying interest. JPMorgan analyst says stock expected to rise
• Positive Sentiment: Local development news shows continued footprint expansion (Sanford Seminole Towne Center), which supports sales growth and long‑term comp opportunities. Sanford Costco development
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting the stock’s YTD momentum and bullish price targets (including speculative $1,200 debate) can attract momentum traders and retail buyers. Can COST hit $1,200?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor discussion about potential special dividends keeps yield-focused investors interested — a visible catalyst ahead of earnings that could lift the stock if management signals payouts. Special dividend speculation
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest postings show effectively zero reported short interest (odd/possibly stale data), so short squeeze risk appears minimal based on current figures. (No external link)
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles highlighting regional store features (e.g., outdoor food courts) and the Costco Pharmacy provide consumer interest/brand goodwill but are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Members in awe of regional stores Costco Pharmacy explainer
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research sites (Zacks, Yahoo/MarketBeat summaries) are flagging COST as a trending/bullish name — useful context for flows but not a direct fundamental change. Zacks trending stock note Are analysts bullish?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some third‑party gift cards sold at Costco are now worthless represent a reputational/headline risk and could prompt short‑term customer concern. Worthless gift cards report
• Negative Sentiment: Recall alerts tied to products with “severe” reactions are a near‑term operational/headline negative that could press sentiment until resolved. Recall update

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.