DA Davidson Reaffirms “Neutral” Rating for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by DA Davidson in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $1,000.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target indicates a potential upside of 1.08% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,070.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,006.19.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $10.94 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $989.29. The stock had a trading volume of 2,837,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,760,981. The firm has a market capitalization of $439.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.99, a P/E/G ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale has a 1 year low of $844.06 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $911.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $929.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. The firm 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 company’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,860,260. This trade represents a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Javier Polit sold 2,049 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $867.21, for a total value of $1,776,913.29. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 10,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,320,773.08. This represents a 16.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Peterson Wealth Services raised its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 13,616 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,479,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares during the period. Permanent Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter valued at $874,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 2.0% during the second quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 15,799 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,640,000 after acquiring an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $1,100 and kept an “Outperform” rating — a sizable upside relative to the current level, which supports further upside from analyst-driven flows. Oppenheimer adjusts PT on Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lifted its target to $1,065 and kept an Outperform rating, citing rebounding membership trends — reinforces the thesis that membership strength and recurring revenue are driving momentum. Mizuho Raises Costco Target
• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported strong January retail sales: $21.33B, +9.3% year-over-year — this operational beat (including solid comp and digital growth) is a near-term fundamental driver for the stock. Costco January sales results
• Positive Sentiment: Macro rotation: BofA flagged record inflows into consumer staples amid a tech selloff, lifting retailers like Costco as investors seek defensive exposure. BofA flags inflows
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst consensus/coverage tone is skewing bullish (TipRanks and multiple firms reiterating strong-buy/outperform views), which can sustain buying interest. TipRanks: Trending StrongBuy
• Neutral Sentiment: Various commentary pieces and stock primers (Fool, Barrons-style thinkpieces) are discussing whether COST is a buy/hold given its long-term track record — useful context but less likely to trigger immediate large moves. Is Costco a Buy, Sell, or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its PT to $950 but maintained an “Equal Weight” rating — that target sits below the current market price, indicating some analysts see limited near-term upside. Wells Fargo raises PT to $950
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns: coverage notes that consumer staples (including Costco) look frothy and COST trades at a rich P/E after multi‑year gains — a potential headwind if multiple contraction occurs. Barron’s: Staples look frothy
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/legal noise: a California recall of pastries and a lawsuit challenging rotisserie chicken labeling could generate localized costs or PR drag, though neither is likely to materially change the long-term thesis on its own. Costco recalls pastries in CA Lawsuit on rotisserie chicken labeling

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.