Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 2.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) were up 2.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $876.00 and last traded at $872.75. Approximately 1,819,503 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 2,343,427 shares. The stock had previously closed at $854.79.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and upgraded quality metrics — Costco’s recent quarter topped expectations and Benzinga highlights a jump in the company’s Quality score plus a “bold legal stance” against proposed tariffs, which reduces regulatory/cost uncertainty and supports fundamentals. Costco Tops Quality Rankings Amid Q1 Beat And Bold Legal Stance Against Trump’s Tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Technical/valuation setup — commentary from MarketBeat and other outlets flags COST as oversold after a pullback despite solid fundamentals; that technical setup is drawing bargain-hunting flows. (Market commentary referenced)
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion pipeline — local development news (Macon project opening in summer 2027) underlines continued long-term unit growth, supporting recurring membership revenue and comp-store sales. Costco project in Macon to open summer 2027 | Here’s what we know
• Neutral Sentiment: Holiday traffic/operational notes — several outlets (USA Today, MSN) published holiday hours and store-opening guides; useful for seasonal sales context but unlikely to materially move the share price by itself. When does Costco open and close on Christmas Eve 2025? See store hours
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive landscape analysis — Zacks compares Walmart and Costco strategies (scale, membership, digital growth); this frames sector positioning but doesn’t change Costco’s underlying membership model. Walmart vs. Costco: Which Retail Giant Wins Today’s Consumer Race?
• Negative Sentiment: Regional competitive pressure — BJ’s aggressive Texas expansion is a near-term local threat to market share in key regions, which could weigh on comps in those markets. BJ’s Wholesale Club challenges Costco in major Texas expansion effort
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed investor sentiment — pundits and some analysts remain cautious (Jim Cramer criticized the tone of the last conference call; several articles note Costco has been a laggard this year), keeping upside limited until guidance/comp trends reaccelerate. Jim Cramer on Costco: “We Did Not Like the Way the Conference Call Went When They Reported Last”
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and year-to-date performance — Costco still trades at a rich P/E and has experienced a notable pullback this year; analysts’ neutral-to-cautious targets (cited in market commentary) temper expectations for rapid re-rating.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on COST. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,170.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,025.00 to $1,027.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $992.08.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $906.34 and a 200 day moving average of $941.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $387.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,851 shares in the company, valued at $6,410,343.68. This represents a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,912,100. This represents a 25.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 9,720 shares of company stock worth $9,010,257. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Triumph Capital Management boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 36.9% during the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 408 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Finivi Inc. raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Finivi Inc. now owns 3,726 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,449,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 31.5% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 22,322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $20,662,000 after acquiring an additional 5,345 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 6,537 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,051,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Advisors MI boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 1,152 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,066,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.