FY2026 Earnings Forecast for COST Issued By Erste Group Bank

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings estimates for Costco Wholesale in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, March 24th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the retailer will post earnings of $20.43 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate 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.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,185.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,155.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Northcoast Research set a $1,100.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $1,044.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,039.13.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $983.86 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $986.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $939.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $436.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.16, a PEG ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,067.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $69.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.02 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hurley Capital LLC grew its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 120.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the company’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 value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total transaction of $1,776,913.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. This trade represents a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,645 shares of company stock valued at $7,049,302. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates, signaling stronger-than-expected profit outlook that supports higher valuation multiples for COST. Erste Group EPS Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is rolling out standalone gas stations — a potential traffic driver and membership-value play that could boost ancillary revenue and stickiness of memberships. Costco Is Launching Standalone Gas Stations
• Positive Sentiment: Costco opened its 11th Canadian Business Centre (Winnipeg), expanding B2B footprint, creating local jobs and increasing wholesale penetration in a new province. Canada’s Eleventh Costco Business Centre
• Positive Sentiment: New Kirkland energy drink rollout is drawing customer enthusiasm and could pressure branded competitors while reinforcing Costco’s private-label margin advantages. Kirkland Energy Drink Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsements and favorable press (Charlie Munger praise, coverage highlighting membership loyalty) help sentiment and investor confidence in Costco’s durable model. Charlie Munger on Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Costco to Walmart and Amazon frames Costco as a defensive, membership-driven retailer but highlights intensifying omnichannel and ad-revenue competition from peers. Walmart or Costco: Who’s Winning?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor write-ups (Fool, MarketBeat) continue to list Costco as a top consumer-staples holding — supportive for long-term flows but not a catalyst for immediate re-rating. The 2 Best Consumer Staples Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and media flag concerns about membership-growth trends and rich valuation — a key risk that could cap upside if membership or comparable-sales momentum slows. Analyst Concerns on Membership Growth

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.