Research Analysts Set Expectations for COST FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Research analysts at Zacks Research have reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Costco Wholesale to $19.95, down from a prior forecast of $20.11.
• Costco recently reported a quarterly earnings of $5.87 EPS, exceeding the consensus estimate of $5.81 EPS, with revenue rising 8.1% year-over-year to $86.16 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, representing a 0.6% dividend yield and set to be paid on November 14th.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) - Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for Costco Wholesale in a report issued on Thursday, October 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the retailer will earn $19.95 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $20.11. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale's current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale's Q4 2026 earnings at $6.36 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $6.96 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $21.87 EPS.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $86.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $86.01 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.15 EPS. Costco Wholesale's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on COST. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,137.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,130.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,068.15.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:COST opened at $936.33 on Monday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $949.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $971.56. Costco Wholesale has a 12 month low of $867.34 and a 12 month high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $414.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.42, a P/E/G ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.98.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 28.56%.

Insider Transactions at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at $2,343,222.10. The trade was a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total transaction of $3,093,615.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,912,100. This trade represents a 25.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.18% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,165,000 after acquiring an additional 2,172 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,628 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,160,000 after buying an additional 966 shares in the last quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 6.0% during the first quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 4,961 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,692,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 34.3% during the first quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the retailer's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Costco Wholesale

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.

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