Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Shares Acquired by GF Fund Management CO. LTD.

Key Points

• GF Fund Management increased its Costco stake by 5.9% in Q4, buying 5,677 shares to hold 101,433 shares worth $87.47 million, making Costco about 1.5% of the fund and its 14th-largest holding.
• Several large institutions also made material moves — Assenagon boosted its position 1,586.8% to 1,137,436 shares (~$981M) while Amundi, Voloridge, WorldQuant and CIBC added significant stakes, leaving institutional investors owning about 68.48% of the stock.
• Costco raised its quarterly dividend ~13% to $1.47, reported an earnings beat with revenue growth, and enjoys broadly positive analyst sentiment (consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $1,045.97 price target and multiple firms raising targets).

GF Fund Management CO. LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,433 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,677 shares during the quarter. Costco Wholesale comprises approximately 1.5% of GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. GF Fund Management CO. LTD.'s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $87,470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer's stock worth $980,857,000 after buying an additional 1,070,005 shares during the period. Amundi increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 112.2% during the 3rd quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 477,425 shares of the retailer's stock worth $441,919,000 after buying an additional 252,453 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 638.7% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 227,310 shares of the retailer's stock worth $225,023,000 after buying an additional 196,537 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth $158,189,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco raised its quarterly dividend ~13% to $1.47 (payable May 15; record May 1), a sign of strong cash flow and management confidence that lifted investor sentiment. Costco Raises Its Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Major banks bumped price targets — JPMorgan raised its PT to $1,110 and Mizuho to $1,100 while keeping bullish ratings, signaling analyst conviction in upside vs. current levels. JPMorgan Adjusts PT Mizuho Adjusts PT
• Positive Sentiment: Operational and sales momentum: Costco reported strong March net sales and recent quarterly results that beat expectations, reinforcing growth and margin resilience. Analysts cite that momentum as part of the bull case alongside the dividend move. Bull Case for Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Product exclusives and in-warehouse surprises — Costco continues to roll out exclusive large-format items and even popular fast-food products that drive foot traffic and impulse buys. These merchandising wins help differentiate membership value. Costco Adds Fast-Food Product Exclusive Aussie Product
• Neutral Sentiment: Checkout and store tech improvements (automated pay stations, AI pricing/markdowns) aim to speed throughput and reduce perishables waste; these are positive long-term but will take time to scale. Automated Pay Stations Grocers Use AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive dynamics: Sam’s Club and BJ’s are making localized gains and Sam’s Club fee moves could reshape pricing among warehouse clubs; this could benefit Costco if it retains perceived value, but it’s an evolving factor. Competitors Gaining Traction Sam's Club Fees
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel sales are elevated (adds revenue/traffic), but analysts warn there’s a caveat around margins and sensitivity to gas price swings; persistent high fuel/traffic volatility could dampen same-store trends. Gas Sales Catch

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on COST. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,045.97.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST opened at $999.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a 1-year low of $844.06 and a 1-year high of $1,067.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $995.74 and a 200-day moving average of $944.84. The company has a market capitalization of $443.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.00, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.99.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.58%.

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.

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