Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-five research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation and twenty-two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,059.0667.

Several brokerages have commented on COST. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $1,000.00 price objective for the company. Roth Capital upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $769.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to highlight Costco’s durable earnings growth, strong membership model, and long-term upside potential, with some articles arguing the stock could eventually move toward much higher valuations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco expanded its business footprint by launching its first standalone members-only gas station in Mission Viejo, California, which reinforces its growth strategy beyond traditional warehouse sites. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also points to continued store expansion, including reports that more Costco locations are coming in 2026, while local officials say a new store could bring meaningful tax revenue to Clarksville. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is also broadening its value proposition through new services and products, including expanded pharmacy/prescription offerings and the addition of Laifen hair dryers in select U.S. stores, which may help drive traffic and membership retention. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles were broadly positive on Costco’s brand and long-term investment case, including a Zacks analyst roundup and bullish “trillion club” projections, but they did not appear to include new company-specific catalysts for today’s trading. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary noted Costco members are paying more for memberships because added perks are viewed as worth the cost, which supports the business model but is not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: One article highlighted that Costco has faced three lawsuits this year, which could add legal and reputational overhang even if the cases are not yet financially material. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some investor commentary remains cautious on valuation, noting that Costco already trades at a premium and that another warehouse competitor may offer better upside, which can temper enthusiasm for the shares. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In related news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total transaction of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 99,278.0% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,726,899 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $672,690,000 after purchasing an additional 6,720,130 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,539,346,000 after purchasing an additional 1,607,833 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.2%

COST opened at $927.31 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $411.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $970.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $979.74. Costco Wholesale has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.01% and a return on equity of 28.04%. The business had revenue of $70.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale will post 20.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th will be paid a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

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.