Telsey Advisory Group Issues Positive Forecast for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Telsey Advisory Group from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 10.17% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on COST. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Gordon Haskett upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,155.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Twenty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,039.47.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of COST opened at $1,030.27 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $992.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $941.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $457.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.58, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.99. 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 has a 52 week low of $844.06 and a 52 week high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.02 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $916.32, for a total transaction of $1,374,480.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% 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. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 5,038 shares of company stock valued at $4,790,896 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Norges Bank bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,539,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,833 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: March sales beat expectations — net sales rose 11.3% year‑over‑year to $28.41 billion and e‑commerce growth topped 20%, which underpins near‑term revenue momentum and drove the stock higher. Costco Posts Strong March Sales Despite Fewer Shopping Days
• Positive Sentiment: Private‑label expansion — Costco is testing Kirkland energy drinks (positioned below national brands), which can protect margins and supplier bargaining leverage if scaled. This supports longer‑term gross‑margin resilience. Costco Tests Kirkland Energy Drinks And Supplier Power With Celsius Lookalike
• Positive Sentiment: Store and service expansion — new store opening plans (e.g., New Braunfels) and moves like a stand‑alone gas station indicate continued physical growth opportunities and membership‑driven sales. Costco sets opening date for New Braunfels store. Here’s everything we know.
• Neutral Sentiment: Company remarks/transcript — Costco released pre‑recorded sales/trading statement remarks that provide management color on trends; useful for guidance but did not change outlook materially. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Pre Recorded Sales/ Trading Statement Call Prepared Remarks Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a headwind — commentators note Costco is trading at a premium (analysts citing ~48x earnings and background P/E near mid‑50s), which may limit upside and keeps some analysts on the sidelines. Costco (COST) Shares Climb 2% Following Strong March Sales Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution — Truist and others have maintained neutral/hold views despite the sales beat, highlighting upside is limited without multiple expansion or faster margin improvement. Costco Stock (COST) Pops on ‘Solid’ March Sales, But Truist Sticks with Hold — Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/regional market risk — broader market futures softened on geopolitical headlines (which can pressure retail stocks intraday), damping some of the rally. Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Futures Drop As Iran Flags Ceasefire Violation, Trump Says Arms ‘Will Remain In Place’—Arrive AI, Costco In Focus

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.