Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Given Outperform Rating 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 Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Telsey Advisory Group currently has a $1,100.00 target price on the retailer’s stock.

COST has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price target on the stock. HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $968.36 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Costco Wholesale has a 12 month low of $844.06 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a market capitalization of $429.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.87, a PEG ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $908.15 and its 200 day moving average is $929.27.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $67.03 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.04 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total transaction of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares in the company, valued at $8,792,849.10. This represents a 5.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction 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 owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Soundwatch Capital LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 635.7% during the second quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Hurley Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 120.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hurley Capital LLC now owns 33 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100 price target, signaling continued analyst confidence and upside vs. the current level. Telsey reaffirmation and $1,100 PT
• Positive Sentiment: New store investment: a roughly $37M Costco build in New Braunfels is progressing ahead of an April opening — expansion that supports future sales and membership growth. $37M New Braunfels construction
• Positive Sentiment: Operations/UX improvements: recent changes to speed up shopping for members can raise throughput and sales per visit. Shopping faster and easier for members
• Positive Sentiment: Media bullishness: commentators including Jim Cramer have highlighted Costco’s recent momentum, which can lift sentiment and buying interest. Jim Cramer says ‘Been a Good Bounce’
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry comparisons and stock-picking pieces (e.g., Motley Fool) examine Costco vs. Walmart — useful context but not an immediate price driver. Costco vs. Walmart analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data appears inconsistent (zeros/NaN), so there’s no clear indication of a large short-squeeze or meaningful short pressure from the published figure.
• Negative Sentiment: Product recall: Costco recalled mini beignets across multiple states for mislabeling that creates an allergy risk — a reputational and potential liability headwind, though likely small relative to company scale. Costco recalls mini beignets after packaging mix-up
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade: an InvestorPlace update included a downgrade of Costco in its blue-chip rankings, which can create short-term selling pressure among model/benchmark investors. FedEx Upgraded, Costco Downgraded

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.