Research Analysts Offer Predictions for COST Q1 Earnings

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) – Equities researchers at Telsey Advisory Group lifted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Costco Wholesale in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, August 7th. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now expects that the retailer will earn $4.29 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $4.28. Telsey Advisory Group has a “Outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. Telsey Advisory Group also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s Q4 2026 earnings at $6.53 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $20.09 EPS.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 29th. The retailer reported $4.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.24 by $0.04. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 30.48%. The firm had revenue of $63.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.78 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $995.00 to $1,042.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Loop Capital dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,115.00 to $1,110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $1,035.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,150.00 to $1,225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,050.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

NASDAQ COST opened at $991.25 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $975.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $985.81. Costco Wholesale has a 1 year low of $856.16 and a 1 year high of $1,078.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $439.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.96.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.50%.

Insider Activity

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Pierre Riel sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,014.15, for a total transaction of $2,028,300.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,210 shares in the company, valued at $8,326,171.50. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 547 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.00, for a total transaction of $536,060.00. Following the sale, the director owned 11,531 shares in the company, valued at $11,300,380. The trade was a 4.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,547 shares of company stock valued at $9,472,510. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bulwark Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 635.7% in the 2nd quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC now owns 2,553 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 2,206 shares in the last quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Anderson Financial Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 900.0% in the 1st quarter. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC now owns 40 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 36 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.