Gordon Haskett Issues Positive Forecast for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Price

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price upped by investment analysts at Gordon Haskett from $1,000.00 to $1,100.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. Gordon Haskett’s price target points to a potential upside of 12.27% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,045.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,218.00 to $1,171.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,130.00 to $1,050.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,134.00 to $1,146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Twenty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Costco Wholesale presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $998.50.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of COST stock traded up $11.38 on Tuesday, reaching $979.74. 630,227 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,652,837. The company has a market capitalization of $434.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 1.01. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,078.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $908.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $929.27.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $67.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.04 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 2,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,860,260. The trade was a 54.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,101,943. This represents a 3.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,315 shares of company stock valued at $8,549,409. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hobbs Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Busey Bank grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% in the third quarter. Busey Bank now owns 2,651 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,454,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.8% in the third quarter. Pasadena Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.1% in the third quarter. Tandem Investment Partners LLC now owns 990 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $916,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Finally, Optima Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Optima Capital LLC now owns 1,192 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,104,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. 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: Very high membership renewal rates (92.3% U.S./Canada, 89.8% worldwide) underline Costco’s recurring-revenue model and pricing power — a primary driver of margins and the company’s ~$14B profit engine. Nine Out of Ten Costco Members Renew: Inside the Metric That Powers a $14B Profit Engine
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,100 price target, signaling analyst conviction and potential upside relative to the current trading level. Telsey Advisory Group price target report
• Positive Sentiment: Operational tweaks to speed up shopping and checkout should improve customer experience and throughput, supporting sales per member over time. Costco just made shopping faster and easier for members
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Costco has “been a good bounce,” reflecting positive market momentum but not new fundamentals. This can support short-term flows but is not a major catalyst by itself. Costco: “Been a Good Bounce,” Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: New store construction in New Braunfels (~$37M) points to continued geographic expansion and member growth, a steady long-term positive but modest in near-term EPS impact. $37M Costco construction soars in New Braunfels ahead of April opening
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported for Feb. 2 appears inconsistent/erroneous (0 shares / NaN changes), so there’s no clear short-squeeze signal from that release. (Data anomaly — no link.)
• Negative Sentiment: Costco recalled mini beignets in multiple states due to packaging mislabeling and allergy risk — a reputational and operational headache for the foodservice side; likely small sales impact but negative PR. Costco recalls mini beignets after packaging mix-up
• Negative Sentiment: InvestorPlace published a downgrade of Costco in a roundup of blue-chip updates — downgrades can temper near-term sentiment even if fundamentals remain solid. FedEx Upgraded, Costco Downgraded: Updated Rankings on Top Blue-Chip Stocks

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.