Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Earns "Buy" Rating from BTIG Research

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by equities research analysts at BTIG Research in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $1,125.00 target price on the retailer's stock. BTIG Research's target price would suggest a potential upside of 25.09% from the company's current price.

COST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $1,144.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Mizuho set a $1,100.00 price target on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Bank of America dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,200.00 to $1,095.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,110.00 to $1,100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,052.65.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded down $5.35 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $899.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 731,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,174,037. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $935.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $968.90. Costco Wholesale has a fifty-two week low of $844.06 and a fifty-two week high of $1,096.50. The firm has a market cap of $398.84 billion, a PE ratio of 45.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in COST. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 42.0% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 117,027 shares of the retailer's stock worth $109,475,000 after buying an additional 34,608 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 49.6% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 21,023 shares of the retailer's stock worth $19,666,000 after acquiring an additional 6,969 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 68.9% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,042,046 shares of the retailer's stock worth $974,803,000 after acquiring an additional 424,982 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 31.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 23,901,594 shares of the retailer's stock worth $22,359,224,000 after acquiring an additional 5,749,362 shares during the period. Finally, Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 12,243 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,419,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect solid quarterly performance, with estimates near $94 billion in revenue and approximately $6.53–$6.59 in earnings per share. Strong traffic, digital sales and membership growth could support the stock if results exceed expectations. Costco Q4 Preview: Members Are Engaged Despite Ongoing Macro Uncertainty
• Positive Sentiment: Membership renewal rates above 90%, Costco’s value-oriented model and substantial cash reserves are viewed as defensive strengths if consumers become more cautious. Costco Stock Opinions on Quarterly Earnings Report
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed a Buy rating and maintained a $1,125 price target, citing Costco’s durable growth drivers. This indicates meaningful potential upside in the analyst’s view. Analyst Reiterates Buy on Costco
• Neutral Sentiment: Options markets imply elevated volatility around the earnings release, increasing the likelihood of a significant post-report move in either direction. Expected Costco Stock Move After Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about margin pressure and Costco’s high valuation. The benefit from the 2024 membership-fee increase may be fading, making future earnings growth more dependent on underlying operations and another potential fee increase. Costco’s Membership Fee Boost Is About to Run Out
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider activity shows two open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months, adding a modestly cautious signal ahead of earnings. Costco Insider Trading Activity

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

The company also provides a variety of ancillary services, including gasoline stations, pharmacies, optical centers, hearing-aid centers, food courts, tire centers, and travel services.