Q1 EPS Estimates for Costco Wholesale Lifted by DA Davidson

Key Points

• Analysts at DA Davidson have lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimate for Costco Wholesale to $4.06, with the current full-year earnings consensus at $18.03 per share.
• Stock performance showed Costco shares increased by 3.1%, opening at $942.89, alongside a market cap of $418.15 billion.
• The company reported Q4 earnings of $5.87 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations, with a revenue of $86.16 billion, representing an 8.1% year-over-year increase.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) - Analysts at DA Davidson increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Costco Wholesale in a report released on Thursday, October 9th. DA Davidson analyst M. Baker now forecasts that the retailer will earn $4.06 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $4.05. DA Davidson has a "Neutral" rating and a $1,000.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale's current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale's FY2026 earnings at $20.96 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Daiwa Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,005.00 to $947.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Erste Group Bank downgraded Costco Wholesale from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $950.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,333.00 to $1,418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,066.23.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $942.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $418.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.98. Costco Wholesale has a 52 week low of $867.34 and a 52 week high of $1,078.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $952.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $971.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The company had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.15 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 11,320 shares of the retailer's stock worth $10,478,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 4.0% during the third quarter. KMG Fiduciary Partners LLC now owns 11,887 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,003,000 after buying an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Rydar Equities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the third quarter. Rydar Equities Inc. now owns 2,492 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,286,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. CGN Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.4% in the third quarter. CGN Advisors LLC now owns 3,348 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,099,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 25.7% in the third quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 3,305 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,059,000 after acquiring an additional 676 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Yoram Rubanenko sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $974.96, for a total transaction of $3,899,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,774 shares in the company, valued at $5,629,419.04. This represents a 40.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total value of $3,093,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at $8,912,100. This represents a 25.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,981 shares of company stock valued at $7,588,685. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.56%.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.