Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Upgraded to “Hold” at Royal Bank Of Canada

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 14th, 2026

Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on COST. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Roth Capital upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,185.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,059.07.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $926.43 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $410.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.60, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $981.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $976.64. Costco Wholesale has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,096.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.28 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 20.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,575,653.55. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of COST. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 6,720,130 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position 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 valued at $1,539,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,833 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in 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 worth $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.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital said Costco is one of retail’s best stories and can keep taking market share thanks to its differentiated membership model. RBC says Costco is one of retail’s best stories, but flags rich valuation
Positive Sentiment: Analysts pointed to resilient June sales and surging digital growth, which supports the case that Costco’s underlying demand is still strong. Are Costco’s June Sales Enough to Defend Its Rich Valuation?
Positive Sentiment: RBC’s coverage and a separate market note described Costco as a top industry player, which likely reinforced investor confidence in the stock. Costco (COST) Stock Climbs as RBC Names Retailer a Top Industry Player Despite Hold Rating

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

(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.