BMO Capital Markets Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target points to a potential upside of 31.20% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on COST. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,035.35.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $19.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,002.31. 1,431,085 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,437,303. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $959.15 and a 200-day moving average of $935.92. Costco Wholesale has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market cap of $444.90 billion, a PE ratio of 53.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $68.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.02 earnings per share. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total transaction of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. The trade was a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 1,500 shares of the company’s 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 approximately $7,550,476.80. This represents a 15.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,317,097 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,607,833 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,364,888,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after buying an additional 1,070,005 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 double beat — Revenue of ~$69.6B, EPS $4.58 and comparable-store sales up ~7.4%; membership income and digital sales were notable drivers, supporting the “resilient demand” thesis. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raise targets and reiterate bullish ratings after the quarter — multiple firms (Raymond James, Telsey, JPMorgan and others) pushed targets higher and BMO set a new street-high view, which supports further upside in sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet strength and capital-return thesis — cash has grown (reported >$17B), low leverage and ongoing buybacks spark talk of special dividends or accelerated returns, a bullish catalyst for holders. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary on tariff refunds — management said any tariff refunds would be returned to members via lower prices, which could help volumes but may limit margin upside; watch follow-up details. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing expansion — local site approvals and new-store openings continue (e.g., Port St. Lucie, Viva White Oak), supporting longer-term comp/store growth but with limited immediate price impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Muted stock reaction / slight pullback — despite the beat and positive headlines, shares dipped in pre-/after-hours trading and showed a tepid intraday move, indicating some profit-taking or that expectations were already baked in. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions — coverage pieces highlight a rich multiple (high P/E) and ask whether shares already price in growth, creating a risk that positive results won’t drive a sustained rally without more visible margin/growth acceleration. Article Title

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.