Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Earns Outperform Rating from Telsey Advisory Group

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by Telsey Advisory Group in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $1,100.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 18.93% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Daiwa Capital Markets decreased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 26th. Twenty-one research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $924.88 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $410.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $892.58 and its 200 day moving average is $931.95.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.04 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total value of $2,526,336.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total value of $1,157,994.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,155 shares in the company, valued at $4,817,966.10. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 8,946 shares of company stock valued at $8,175,048 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Birchbrook Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.5% in the first quarter. Birchbrook Inc. now owns 456 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 7.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 159 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wagner Wealth Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% during the second quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Busey Bank raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,454,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-released December sales: net sales of $29.86B (up 8.5% yr/yr) and companywide comps +7.0%, with digitally-enabled sales up ~19%. This is the primary driver for the bullish move. Costco Reports December Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: E-commerce acceleration: online/digitally-enabled sales jumped ~18–19% in December, boosting margins and omnichannel momentum that investors favor. Costco Stock Jumps as Online Sales Growth Reaches 18% in December
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upgrades (Mizuho, Deutsche Bank mentions, Telsey reaffirming outperform) are lifting sentiment and providing upside to price targets. Costco Upgraded at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: Political/tariff developments: betting markets and reports increasingly price in relief from new tariffs — a potential tailwind for Costco’s import-heavy model. Betting Markets Predict 75% Chance Supreme Court Blocks Trump Tariffs
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion: city-level site news (Greenbrier Mall) signals ongoing real-estate pipeline but is not material yet to national results. Costco Could Be Coming to Greenbrier Mall
• Neutral Sentiment: Street commentary: portfolio managers and media guests (Wall Street Alliance video backing Costco) highlight execution focus — supportive but not a direct earnings catalyst. Aadil Zaman Backs Costco
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: outlets warn Costco trades near elevated multiples after years of outperformance, suggesting limited upside if growth slows — a short-term headwind for multiples. How Retailer Costco Can Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Media critique: high-profile commentator Jim Cramer said COST “should be repudiated this quarter,” which can amplify short-term selling despite longer-term bullish data. Jim Cramer: Costco Should be Repudiated

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.