Costco Wholesale’s (COST) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group restated their outperform rating on shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $1,100.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock.

COST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,033.00 to $926.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $769.00 price target on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $915.31 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $892.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $932.51. The stock has a market cap of $406.28 billion, a PE ratio of 49.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale has a 52-week low of $844.06 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The company had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.04 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 6,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $934.62, for a total transaction of $1,157,994.18. Following the transaction, the insider owned 5,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,817,966.10. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock valued at $8,175,048. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of COST. Birchbrook Inc. raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.5% during the first quarter. Birchbrook Inc. now owns 456 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 159 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Wagner Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 3.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Busey Bank raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,454,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-reported December net sales of $29.86B (up 8.5% YoY) and 18.9% digitally-enabled sales highlight broad-based strength across regions and channels, underpinning near-term revenue momentum. Costco Reports December Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Monthly and holiday comp-sales data (total-company comps ~+7%, U.S. comps +6%) are cited by analysts as a catalyst for a stock recovery and buying interest. Coverage and write-ups from outlets highlight the sales beat as the primary short-term driver. Costco Holiday Blowout Signals Strong Stock Recovery Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street activity is supportive: new coverage (Deutsche Bank initiated at Buy), analyst reaffirmations and high price targets (Telsey $1,100 PT; J.P. Morgan maintain Buy with $1,000 PT) lift sentiment and create potential upside vs. the current share price. Deutsche Bank Coverage (Finviz)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes Costco’s long-term growth runway (membership model, retail media potential, international expansion), which supports a premium valuation but also implies investors are pricing in quality growth. Costco: The Retail Media Transformation Everyone Is Missing
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculation about special dividends and investor chatter around capital returns has surfaced after strong sales; this can boost short-term interest but is not confirmed corporate action. Investors Hunt for a 2026 Special Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Local development/legal risks: a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed Paramus, NJ Costco highlights potential project delays and local regulatory risk that can affect growth timing in specific markets. Paramus Lawsuit Seeks to Block Costco Project
• Negative Sentiment: Quiver/filings data show notable insider sales and mixed institutional positioning; heavy insider selling can be perceived negatively even as institutions broadly remain active — a risk to sentiment if selling accelerates. QuiverQuant December Sales & Insider Activity

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.