Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target Raised to $950.00

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $900.00 to $950.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the retailer’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price suggests a potential downside of 4.20% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Gordon Haskett increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,006.19.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ:COST traded up $13.35 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $991.70. The stock had a trading volume of 1,525,873 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,703,300. The stock has a market cap of $440.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.11, a P/E/G ratio of 5.85 and a beta of 1.01. 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 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $911.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $929.80.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its 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 net margin of 2.96% and a return on equity of 29.35%. The company had revenue of $67.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $67.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.04 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 458 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $955.00, for a total value of $437,390.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,148,060. The trade was a 5.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 9,315 shares of company stock worth $8,549,409 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,692,035,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,364,888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,377,328 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,893,697,000 after buying an additional 986,182 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after buying an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-reported January sales beat expectations — net sales of $21.33 billion, up 9.3% year-over-year, with strong comparable-store and digital growth, which supports near-term revenue momentum and investor confidence. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports January Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is skewing bullish — TipRanks notes a Strong Buy trend among analysts, Telsey reaffirmed Outperform, and firms like Gordon Haskett have issued positive price-appreciation forecasts, supporting upside expectations. Costco Stock Forecast: Trending StrongBuy Among Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/flow support: Bank of America flagged record inflows into consumer staples (including Costco) as investors rotate out of tech, providing demand tailwinds for the stock. Walmart, Costco, XLP Surge As BofA Flags Record Inflows Into Consumer Staples Amid Tech Selloff
• Positive Sentiment: Press narratives highlight a “comeback” — several outlets credit Costco with reversing 2025 weakness and regaining leadership in early-2026 performance, which can attract momentum traders. Costco’s Comeback: Why Betting Against This Retail Giant Is a Losing Game
• Neutral Sentiment: High-profile commentary — Jim Cramer highlighted quirky merchandising (discounted Hermès in China), which draws attention but is unlikely to move fundamentals materially. Jim Cramer Says Its ‘Just Crazy’ That Costco Sells Discounted Hermès Birkin…
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data appears to be a non-informative/data glitch this cycle and is unlikely to explain price action. (Trade-volume context: current volume below 50‑day average.)
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns — commentary in Barron’s and valuation-focused pieces question whether staples (including Costco) look “frothy” after recent gains; COST’s high P/E may limit upside unless earnings growth accelerates. Staples Stocks Are Known for Safety. Now They Look Way Too Frothy.
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/legal noise — a California recall of pastries for undeclared nuts and a lawsuit challenging rotisserie-chicken labeling create modest reputational/legal risks; these are likely manageable but worth monitoring. Costco recalls pastries sold in CA over undeclared nuts

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.