Costco Wholesale’s (COST) Neutral Rating Reaffirmed at DA Davidson

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reissued by investment analysts at DA Davidson in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $1,000.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 0.15% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Evercore set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $926.00 to $977.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group set a $1,175.00 target price on Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,043.13.

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of COST traded down $33.56 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $998.47. The company had a trading volume of 2,238,449 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,177,142. The company has a market capitalization of $442.97 billion, a PE ratio of 51.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $994.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $942.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.57% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the sale, the director owned 8,532 shares in the company, valued at $8,148,060. This represents a 5.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total value of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at $4,169,907.28. The trade was a 16.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 3,538 shares of company stock worth $3,416,416 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,780 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,248 shares in the last quarter. Permanent Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $874,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 43.6% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 23,444 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,700,000 after acquiring an additional 7,116 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,781,000. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 399,894 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $370,140,000 after acquiring an additional 5,937 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported a blowout March retail month: net sales rose 11.3% to $28.41B, digital sales surged and traffic/transactions climbed — a clear short‑term revenue catalyst that supports the company’s growth trajectory. GlobeNewswire: March Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised targets or reiterated Buy views (Deutsche Bank, Telsey, Wells Fargo, William Blair/Goldman maintained bullish stances), providing analyst support that can underpin medium‑term upside. Deutsche Bank price target raise Wells Fargo forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Viral consumer interest in new SKUs (notably one‑ounce gold bars) is driving short‑term traffic, sellouts and brand visibility beyond typical merchandise — a revenue/PR tailwind. Yahoo: Costco Gold Bars
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and TV commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) are flagging operational catalysts such as fuel pricing and membership strength — useful color for sentiment but not new company guidance. InsiderMonkey: Cramer catalysts
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a clear headwind: commentary from Seeking Alpha and others notes Costco trades at a premium (roughly ~50x EPS); some investors and firms caution upside is limited absent margin/earnings acceleration. Seeking Alpha: Valuation concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Wider market volatility (geo‑political headlines and S&P futures weakness) pressured retail names today, contributing to Costco’s pullback as investors de‑risk across sectors. Benzinga: Market volatility

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.