Analysts Set Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) PT at $1,046.03

Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-four research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have issued a hold recommendation and twenty-two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,046.0333.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on COST shares. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,100.00 price objective on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported April comparable sales up 11.6% and net sales up 13%, with digitally enabled comps jumping 18.8%, reinforcing confidence in the company’s membership and omnichannel model. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are pointing to Costco’s e-commerce gains as a potential driver of a higher valuation, suggesting the online business could support longer-term upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is also benefiting from consumer demand for value, with higher gas prices and price-sensitive shopping helping fuel traffic and sales at warehouse clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: New member-value initiatives, including added food court protein options and more digital redemption of perks, may help reinforce loyalty and keep shoppers engaged with the Costco ecosystem. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted Costco shares are now above the psychologically important $1,000 mark, which may invite profit-taking or renewed debate over whether the stock is stretched after its run-up. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco’s short-interest update appears to show no meaningful change, so it does not seem to be a major driver of the stock today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The tariff-refund lawsuit could weigh on sentiment because it puts Costco’s member-value reputation and refund practices under legal scrutiny. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also raises the “sell in May” question after the stock’s recent run, suggesting valuation and seasonality could cap near-term upside. Article Title

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of COST opened at $999.47 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $443.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $998.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $952.44. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $844.06 and a twelve month high of $1,067.08.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.02 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be given a $1.47 dividend. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 30.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Hurley Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the third quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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.