Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading 1.1% Higher – Time to Buy?

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jun 6th, 2026

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report)’s stock price rose 1.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $990.01 and last traded at $972.5860. Approximately 2,321,941 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 7% from the average daily volume of 2,172,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $961.83.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

Positive Sentiment: Costco posted another strong month, with May net sales up 14.5% year over year to $24.01 billion and comparable sales still running at a healthy pace, reinforcing the view that traffic and spending trends remain solid. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results
Positive Sentiment: Analysts continued to point to Costco’s defensive fundamentals, strong U.S. comparable sales, fuel-driven traffic, and growing digital business as reasons for optimism on the stock. Costco Stock (COST) Keeps Wall Street Split despite Accelerating Sales
Positive Sentiment: Costco’s ability to hold up during the broader market sell-off underscored its reputation as a defensive retailer, which may have helped support investor interest. Why Costco Stock Held Steady During Friday’s Market Sell-Off
Neutral Sentiment: Several articles framed Costco as a high-quality long-term compounder, but also emphasized that its premium valuation leaves less room for error if growth slows. Costco stock price shocks market despite major blowout quarter
Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s valuation remains a debate point on Wall Street, with some analysts maintaining Buy ratings and high price targets while others argue the stock already reflects much of the good news. Costco: Robust Comps and Reaccelerating Digital Sales Support Buy Rating, Price Target Reaffirmed at $1275
Negative Sentiment: One recent note argued that Costco’s strong quarter was not enough to offset valuation worries, suggesting investors may be hesitant to pay up after the recent sales-driven rally. Costco’s Strong Quarter Still Leaves Investors with a Valuation Problem

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $431.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,006.71 and its 200-day moving average is $963.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total transaction of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. The trade was a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hurley Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 750.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 34 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

(Get 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.