Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) traded down 1.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $1,072.00 and last traded at $1,074.01. 2,131,363 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 2,098,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,094.32.
Costco Wholesale News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Costco to $1,275 from $1,205 and kept a buy rating, implying additional upside from current levels. Benzinga
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive ahead of Q3 earnings, arguing Costco only needs to show steady membership renewals and continued traffic growth to justify its valuation. TipRanks
- Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Costco’s strong operating momentum, including a recent dividend increase, record highs, and expectations that the business continues to expand in 2026. TipRanks
- Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated, with multiple articles calling Costco a trending or widely watched stock as the earnings date approaches.
- Negative Sentiment: Some commentary notes that expectations are already high, which could limit near-term upside if the upcoming report is merely solid rather than exceptional. Seeking Alpha
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Gordon Haskett upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Twenty-two equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,052.60.
Costco Wholesale Price Performance
The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $1,004.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $957.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $476.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.85, a PEG ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 0.92. 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 (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.58%.
Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale
In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of COST. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 907.1% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,539,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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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