Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Given “Sector Perform” Rating at Royal Bank Of Canada

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)‘s stock had its “sector perform” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $1,000.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price points to a potential upside of 6.02% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, September 25th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $781.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 25th. HSBC raised Costco Wholesale to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,046.27.

Costco Wholesale Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:COST traded down $4.70 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $943.23. 605,358 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,187,891. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Costco Wholesale has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $930.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $963.49. The stock has a market cap of $418.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 27.60% and a net margin of 3.04%.The business had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.87 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale will post 22.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% 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. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $22,359,224,000 after buying an additional 5,749,362 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 11.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 7,515,031 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,488,203,000 after purchasing an additional 773,651 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 838.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472,968 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,328,729 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,732,836,000 after buying an additional 143,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,068,312 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,870,314,000 after buying an additional 160,893 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong September sales: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year. Companywide comparable sales increased 11.4%, while comparable sales excluding gasoline and foreign-exchange effects rose 7.6%. U.S. comparable sales increased 12.5%, supported by higher traffic and transaction growth. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports September Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Digital and membership momentum: Online sales reportedly grew 19%, reinforcing Costco’s retail momentum. Coverage also points to the company’s popular merchandise and new offerings as potential drivers of membership sign-ups and customer engagement. Costco’s September Sales Rise 13% on Strong Comps, Digital Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its “sector perform” rating but set a $1,000 price target, implying moderate upside from recent trading levels. UBS also characterized September trends as accelerating. Royal Bank of Canada rating update Costco September Sales Point to Accelerating Trends
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain measured: DA Davidson maintained a “hold” rating following a warehouse-club tour, suggesting that strong traffic is already balanced against valuation and margin concerns. DA Davidson Costco warehouse tour
• Negative Sentiment: Growth quality and valuation risks: Analysts caution that part of September’s comparable-sales surge may have come from higher gasoline prices and other lower-margin or one-time benefits. COST trades at roughly 45 times earnings, leaving limited room for execution misses or margin pressure. Costco’s Sales Rebound in September

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.

Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.