Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for COST FY2026 Earnings

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) – Equities research analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Costco Wholesale in a report released on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the retailer will post earnings of $20.43 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $20.28. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s FY2027 earnings at $22.47 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on COST. Roth Mkm restated a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,065.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1%

COST opened at $974.86 on Thursday. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $985.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $938.89. The stock has a market cap of $432.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.69, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.02 earnings per share.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of COST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,620,717 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $37,615,889,000 after purchasing an additional 165,349 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,141,062,000 after purchasing an additional 90,107 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,388,519 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,919,573,000 after purchasing an additional 26,690 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,523,423 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,212,433,000 after purchasing an additional 107,775 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake 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 worth $5,282,182,000 after buying an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This trade represents a 16.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 7,645 shares of company stock worth $7,049,302. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 30th. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.04%.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco’s new Kirkland energy drink is being positioned as a value private‑label offering that should drive incremental sales and hurt branded competitors — this is seen by markets as a low‑cost growth lever for Costco. Why Costco’s cheap new Kirkland energy drink won’t crush Celsius
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlights strong member response to the Kirkland energy drink and frames the launch as another example of Costco using its private label to expand assortments and margins — a near‑term positive for top‑line and gross‑margin outlooks. Costco’s new energy drink delights fans, rattles competition
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets note that Costco’s product expansion is putting pressure on smaller branded peers (e.g., Celsius), which markets interpreted as confirmation that Costco can capture share in higher‑growth categories. Celsius Stock Jolted After Costco Offers Energy-Drink Brand for Less
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly positive: consensus price target implies material upside, but reports flag rising concerns about membership growth and valuation — a mixed signal for future returns. Analysts Bullish on Costco Wholesale (COST) Despite Increasing Concerns Regarding Membership Growth Trends and Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses on Costco’s gas‑pricing strategy emphasize it as a membership retention/acquisition tool that stabilizes traffic and revenue — supportive for recurring revenue and same‑store trends. Here’s Why Costco’s Gas Pricing Strategy Is Good News for Shareholders
• Negative Sentiment: Separate pieces call out valuation worries and include Costco on lists of overvalued names — a reminder that the stock’s premium multiple leaves it vulnerable to sentiment shifts if membership or comp trends slow. 5 Most Overvalued Companies According to the Media
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory/legal flow: Bloomberg Law flags Costco as a target in consumer tariff‑refund actions — keep an eye on potential filings, though no immediate financial impact has been reported. FedEx, Costco, UPS Are Main Targets for Consumer Tariff Refunds

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.