Central Pacific Bank Trust Division Increases Stock Position in Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 5th, 2026

Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) by 85.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,797 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,749 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Costco Wholesale were worth $3,552,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 750.0% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 34 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on COST shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,059.07.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $947.85 on Wednesday. Costco Wholesale Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The company has a market cap of $420.35 billion, a PE ratio of 47.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.87. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $952.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $982.44.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.58%.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding its store footprint with construction underway for a new location near Kuna and Meridian, Idaho. The opening could support future sales, membership growth and regional convenience. Costco construction underway near Kuna border
Positive Sentiment: The company’s low gasoline prices are designed to attract shoppers and increase warehouse visits. Although fuel itself generates limited profit, the strategy can indirectly lift merchandise sales, memberships and overall customer retention. Costco keeps its gas super cheap for a very specific reason
Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted a 92.2% U.S.-Canada renewal rate, growth in Executive memberships and improving digital retention. These trends reinforce Costco’s recurring-revenue model and suggest customer loyalty remains strong despite changes in membership mix. Costco’s Renewal Trends Point to Lasting Customer Loyalty
Positive Sentiment: Reported changes aimed at resolving members’ biggest pain points could help Costco protect membership sales and retention, which are central to its profitability. Costco’s changes fix members’ biggest problems
Neutral Sentiment: Positive attention around a frozen food item highlights Costco’s ability to generate value-oriented consumer engagement, but the product buzz is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. One of Costco’s best frozen items
Negative Sentiment: Costco reportedly agreed to a $14 million settlement involving allegedly misleading “fake urgency” emails. The financial impact appears manageable for a company of Costco’s size, but the matter creates legal, compliance and reputational concerns. Costco’s $14M settlement over fake urgency emails

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were 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 approximately $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Profile

(Free Report)

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.