Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Rating Increased to Outperform at Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) from a hold rating to an outperform rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $1,000.00 price target on the retailer’s stock, up from their prior price target of $950.00.

COST has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Daiwa Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $947.00 to $917.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,000.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $769.00 price target on Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $994.08.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 2.5%

COST opened at $875.74 on Monday. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $893.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $933.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $388.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.91, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.02.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 11th. The retailer reported $4.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.07. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm had revenue of $67.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.04 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,860,260. The trade was a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $935.68, for a total value of $2,526,336.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,410,343.68. The trade was a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after purchasing an additional 711,560 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,325,416 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,141,062,000 after acquiring an additional 90,107 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,275,056 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,124,263,000 after acquiring an additional 150,844 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at $5,692,035,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 9.8% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,291,557 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,248,384,000 after acquiring an additional 383,887 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

More Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst upgrades and talk of a possible special dividend lifted sentiment; upgrades typically support near-term buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recommended as a long-term growth hold (20-year thesis) by The Motley Fool, reinforcing buy-and-hold narratives that can support valuation over time. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight Costco’s digital ecosystem (e?commerce, AI, same?day delivery) as a growing driver of member engagement and sales, which supports revenue diversification and margin upside longer term. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting new store openings and consumer interest (e.g., Roseville store schedule, shopping features) is operationally positive but likely low-impact on immediate stock moves. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and TV coverage (Jim Cramer) are keeping the name in focus; useful for flows but not a decisive fundamental change. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Several pieces warn about sluggish sales and membership growth and say valuation remains hard to justify — these concerns can limit upside until growth reaccelerates. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks’ more pessimistic note on Q2 earnings expectations highlights downside risk to near-term estimates and could pressure the stock if guidance or results disappoint. Article Title

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.