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Costco Wholesale (COST) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Costco Wholesale logo
$947.74 +14.23 (+1.52%)
As of 08/21/2026 04:00 PM Eastern

Costco Wholesale - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
11
Buy
22

Based on 34 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Costco Wholesale in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 34 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 11 have given a hold rating, and 22 have given a buy rating for COST.

Consensus Price Target

$1,059.53
11.80% Upside
According to the 34 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Costco Wholesale, the average price target is $1,059.53. The highest price target for COST is $1,315.00, while the lowest price target for COST is $16.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 11.80% from the current price of $947.74.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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COST Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
8/22/25 to 8/22/26
1 Month Ago
7/23/25 to 7/23/26
3 Months Ago
5/24/25 to 5/24/26
1 Year Ago
8/22/24 to 8/22/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
22 Buy rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
Hold
11 Hold rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$1,059.53$1,059.07$1,052.60$1,050.00
Forecasted Upside11.80% Upside14.36% Upside2.37% Upside9.54% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

COST Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
Skip Chart & View Analyst Rating History

COST Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Costco Wholesale Stock vs. The Competition

TypeCostco WholesaleConsumer Staples CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.62
2.23
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside11.80% Upside155.54% Upside12.34% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent COST News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
8/6/2026
Krisztina Katai
Krisztina Katai
3 of 5 stars
Reiterated RatingBuy$1,120.00+17.89%
7/13/2026 Initiated CoverageSector Perform$1,000.00+9.14%
7/9/2026Lower TargetOverweight$1,110.00 ➝ $1,100.00+15.41%
6/23/2026 DowngradeBuy (B)Buy (B-)
6/18/2026Initiated CoverageNeutral$1,020.00+7.53%
6/4/2026Reiterated RatingNeutral$1,000.00+1.52%
6/3/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$1,175.00+21.66%
6/1/2026 Reiterated RatingBuy
6/1/2026 Reiterated RatingNeutral
6/1/2026Set Target$1,100.00+15.02%
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5/29/2026Boost TargetBuy$1,185.00 ➝ $1,200.00+25.96%
5/29/2026 Boost TargetOutperform$1,192.00 ➝ $1,194.00+24.97%
5/29/2026 Boost TargetBuy$1,088.00 ➝ $1,159.00+21.36%
5/29/2026 Boost TargetSell$769.00 ➝ $781.00-18.22%
5/29/2026Boost TargetHold$977.00 ➝ $1,011.00+5.86%
5/29/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$1,125.00+13.04%
5/20/2026Boost TargetBuy$1,205.00 ➝ $1,275.00+17.76%
5/19/2026Boost TargetOutperform$1,100.00 ➝ $1,160.00+7.76%
4/9/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$950.00 ➝ $1,000.00-2.94%
4/9/2026Boost TargetOutperform$1,125.00 ➝ $1,135.00+10.17%
3/10/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$917.00 ➝ $975.00-3.01%
3/6/2026Boost TargetOutperform$1,175.00 ➝ $1,315.00+32.20%
3/6/2026Boost TargetOutperform$1,000.00 ➝ $1,100.00+11.95%
3/5/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$1,050.00+6.86%
3/2/2026Set Target$1,100.00+8.83%
2/17/2026 Boost TargetNeutral$890.00 ➝ $1,000.00-1.81%
2/5/2026Set Target$1,100.00+12.44%
2/3/2026 Boost Target$1,000.00 ➝ $1,100.00+13.59%
12/24/2025Set TargetNeutralBuy$1,100.00+28.69%
12/12/2025 Lower TargetHold$1,060.00 ➝ $1,045.00+18.15%
11/18/2025 Initiated CoverageMarket Perform$16.00-98.25%
9/29/2025Boost TargetBuy$1,170.00 ➝ $1,200.00+31.01%
9/26/2025 Lower TargetOverweight$1,225.00 ➝ $1,130.00+19.79%
9/18/2025Initiated CoveragePeer Perform
8/5/2025 DowngradeBuyHold
5/29/2025Set Target$1,035.00+3.10%
5/29/2025Lower TargetBuy$1,115.00 ➝ $1,110.00+10.57%
4/4/2025UpgradeHoldModerate Buy
3/10/2025Boost TargetEqual Weight$940.00 ➝ $980.00+1.63%
10/17/2024 Reiterated RatingBuy$1,065.00+20.07%
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9/23/2024Initiated CoverageHold$950.00+3.73%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Saturday at 11:44 PM ET.


Should I Buy Costco Wholesale Stock? COST Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Monday, August 17, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Costco Wholesale pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Costco Wholesale
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Costco:

  • The current stock price is around $949, which is significantly lower than its 52-week high, indicating potential for price appreciation.
  • Costco has a strong market capitalization of approximately $426 billion, reflecting its stability and growth potential in the retail sector.
  • The company reported a revenue of over $70 billion in its latest quarter, surpassing expectations, which showcases its robust sales performance.
  • Costco's low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17 suggests a conservative approach to leverage, reducing financial risk for investors.
  • With a dividend yield of 0.6% and a payout ratio of 29.58%, Costco provides a steady income stream for investors while maintaining room for growth.

Costco Wholesale
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Costco for these reasons:

  • The stock has a high P/E ratio of 48.34, which may indicate that it is overvalued compared to its earnings, potentially leading to price corrections.
  • Recent earnings per share (EPS) missed consensus estimates by a small margin, which could raise concerns about future profitability.
  • Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with some downgrading their price targets, suggesting uncertainty in its future performance.
  • Costco's quick ratio of 0.61 indicates that it may face challenges in meeting short-term liabilities, which could affect liquidity.
  • With a beta of 0.87, the stock is less volatile than the market, which may limit potential gains during bullish market conditions.

COST Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 34 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Costco Wholesale is $1,059.53, with a high forecast of $1,315.00 and a low forecast of $16.00.

34 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Costco Wholesale in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 11 hold ratings and 22 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" COST shares.

According to analysts, Costco Wholesale's stock has a predicted upside of 11.80% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Costco Wholesale's stock had 1 upgrade and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Analysts like Costco Wholesale more than other "consumer staples" companies. The consensus rating for Costco Wholesale is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "consumer staples" companies is Hold. Learn more on how COST compares to other companies.


This page (NASDAQ:COST) was last updated on 8/22/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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