FY2026 Earnings Estimate for COST Issued By Erste Group Bank

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) – Stock analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 EPS estimates for Costco Wholesale in a research report issued on Friday, June 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the retailer will post earnings per share of $20.49 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $20.44. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $20.38 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s FY2027 earnings at $22.61 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,060.00 to $1,110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,192.00 to $1,194.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,125.00 to $1,135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,205.00 to $1,275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Twenty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,060.41.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.5%

COST opened at $983.37 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $436.10 billion, a PE ratio of 49.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,006.04 and its 200-day moving average is $966.09. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.94 by ($0.01). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 28.04% and a net margin of 3.01%.The firm had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $70.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.28 EPS.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 1st. This is a boost from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is 29.58%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.4% in the first quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 7,368 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,342,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Robinswood Financial LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,662,000. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 6.3% during the first quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 7,798 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,770,000 after purchasing an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Evansbrook LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 649 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthquest Corp increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 38.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 440 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Costco Wholesale News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said investors “buy some here,” reinforcing a bullish view on Costco as a long-term holding despite a tougher consumer backdrop. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported strong May net sales growth, including a 14.5% year-over-year increase, and one article noted digital sales jumped 21% while gas volumes hit a record, signaling healthy demand across key categories. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Costco’s continued membership and traffic strength, with analysts and commentators pointing to upside and strong institutional interest in the stock. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Costco is also drawing attention for ESG and governance reasons after CEO Ron Vachris was recognized for board diversity leadership, which may matter to some investors but is not an immediate earnings driver. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Costco is fighting a class-action lawsuit over its $5 rotisserie chicken, with plaintiffs alleging misleading “no preservatives” marketing, creating a potential reputational and legal overhang. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary also suggests Costco may face tougher comparisons in a price-sensitive consumer environment, with rivals like Dollar Tree seen as having a pricing advantage on smaller-pack items. Article title

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.