Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.6% on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Shares rose 1.6% after Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $1,106 and kept a Buy rating; COST traded near $1,012 with about 1.64M shares changing hands (down 22% vs. average).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: 22 Buys, 11 Holds and 1 Sell give a MarketBeat consensus target of $1,046.03, with several firms (including BMO and JPMorgan) raising targets recently.
• Fundamentals and shareholder returns improving: April net sales were up 13% YoY to $23.92B, the latest quarter modestly beat EPS estimates, and Costco raised its quarterly dividend to $1.47 (ex‑dividend May 1).

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded up 1.6% on Thursday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on the stock from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the stock. Costco Wholesale traded as high as $1,012.66 and last traded at $1,012.06. 1,644,237 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 22% from the average session volume of 2,098,548 shares. The stock had previously closed at $995.75.

COST has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Evercore set a $1,100.00 target price on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Roth Mkm restated a "sell" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,046.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 730 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,003.02, for a total value of $732,204.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,121 shares in the company, valued at $6,139,485.42. This trade represents a 10.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Costco Wholesale News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported strong April results: net sales of $23.92B, up 13% year‑over‑year, with U.S. comparable sales robust — a clear near‑term revenue tailwind. Costco April Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank nudged its price target higher and kept a Buy rating, implying analyst support for further upside from current levels. Deutsche Bank Adjusts Costco PT
• Positive Sentiment: Higher U.S. gasoline prices are benefiting Costco’s fuel sales and margins, a cyclical boost that analysts point to as supporting earnings in the near term. Costco in Focus as Gas Prices Rise
• Positive Sentiment: Model-driven bullish pieces and price forecasts highlight membership fee growth and strong digital comp trends, reinforcing investor expectations for further gains. Costco Price Prediction
• Neutral Sentiment: Retailers including Costco are changing self‑checkout approaches — a potential mix of cost savings and customer friction that could affect margins or basket sizes over time. Self-Checkout Changes at Major Retailers
• Neutral Sentiment: Company prepared remarks and trading‑statement transcripts are available for detail on comps, traffic and membership trends but contain no new headline surprises. Costco Trading Statement Remarks
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s maintains a negative industry outlook for retail in 2026 (consumer demand pressure), an industry risk that could cap upside if broader spending weakens. Retail Outlook and Winners
• Negative Sentiment: Some market pieces note recent short‑term weakness and intraday swings in COST, a reminder of volatility even amid positive fundamentals. Costco Stock Slides as Market Rises

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth approximately $2,781,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 24.5% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer's stock worth $121,098,000 after buying an additional 27,625 shares during the last quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% during the fourth quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,911,000 after buying an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 399,894 shares of the retailer's stock worth $370,140,000 after buying an additional 5,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,106,319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,024,042,000 after buying an additional 9,636 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $449.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.92. The stock's 50 day moving average is $997.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $950.96.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 11th. The retailer reported $4.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 28.57%. Costco Wholesale'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 firm posted $4.02 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 1st will be issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale's previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 1st. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.58%.

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.

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