Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 1.5% After Analyst Upgrade

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) shares rose 1.5% on Tuesday after Mizuho upgraded the stock from a hold rating to an outperform rating. Mizuho now has a $1,000.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $950.00. Costco Wholesale traded as high as $894.08 and last traded at $889.10. Approximately 2,715,740 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 2,630,770 shares. The stock had previously closed at $875.74.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on COST. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,065.00 to $990.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 29th. HSBC cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $994.08.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $930.13, for a total value of $2,232,312.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 2,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,860,260. This trade represents a 54.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 24th. The stock was 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 directly owned 6,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,410,343.68. This trade represents a 28.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,946 shares of company stock worth $8,175,048. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded COST to an “outperform” and raised its price target to $1,000, giving the stock renewed upside optimism from institutional coverage. Mizuho upgrade and $1,000 target
• Positive Sentiment: Costco is expanding distribution capacity with a Port St. Lucie distribution center expected to open in March 2026, which should support e‑commerce, same‑day delivery and inventory flow. Port St. Lucie distribution center
• Positive Sentiment: Member perks continue to broaden: Costco is offering EV discounts (Cadillac, Volvo) to members, a retention/traffic benefit that bolsters membership value. EV discounts for members
• Positive Sentiment: International operations show progress — Costco NZ reported its first profit since opening, signaling improving returns from expansion markets. Costco NZ profitability
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Costco’s digital ecosystem (e‑commerce, AI, same‑day delivery) is gaining traction, supporting medium‑term sales and member engagement. Zacks on digital ecosystem
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and investor lists continue to include Costco as a durable mega‑cap pick and long‑term hold, which supports steady demand from buy‑and‑hold investors but doesn’t guarantee near‑term upside. MarketBeat mega-cap feature
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/analyst coverage (including shows like Cramer) is keeping COST in focus—good for liquidity and visibility but mixed in directional impact. Cramer segment
• Negative Sentiment: Some research warns of near‑term earnings pressure (Zacks/other notes) and highlights sluggish membership growth and sales, which keep valuation scrutiny high. Pessimistic Q2 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Price‑target and forecast pieces point to recent share weakness (monthly declines and pullback from 52‑week highs), reminding investors that valuation (high P/E) and short‑term volatility remain risks. Price prediction / recent weakness

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in COST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,692,035,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 418,980.3% during the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 2,359,422 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,335,686,000 after purchasing an additional 2,358,859 shares during the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,378,758 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,364,888,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377,328 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 45.0% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 3,176,606 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,893,697,000 after purchasing an additional 986,182 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 43,356,271 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,920,107,000 after acquiring an additional 711,560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.5%

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 company has a market capitalization of $394.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.62, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 1.02. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $893.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $933.62.

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

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

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

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.