Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 3.7% – What’s Next?

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)’s stock price rose 3.7% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $931.67 and last traded at $915.31. Approximately 5,151,265 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 64% from the average daily volume of 3,149,563 shares. The stock had previously closed at $882.58.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $900.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 19th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,025.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,100.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Twenty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.00.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.0%

The firm has a market cap of $410.53 billion, a PE ratio of 49.54, a PEG ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $892.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $931.95.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is currently 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Tiffany Marie Barbre sold 1,239 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $4,817,966.10. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 558 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $862.89, for a total value of $481,492.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,792,849.10. This trade represents a 5.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,172 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. WBI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the first quarter worth about $289,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 87,924 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $81,884,000 after acquiring an additional 25,448 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nova Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 8.8% during the first quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. now owns 444 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $420,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

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.