Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Stock Keeps “Sector Perform” Rating at Royal Bank Of Canada

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST)‘s stock had its “sector perform” rating reiterated by Royal Bank Of Canada in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $1,000.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.90% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms also recently commented on COST. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,125.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,100.00 to $1,065.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Roth Capital restated a “sell” rating and issued a $781.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,046.27.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST traded down $3.66 during trading on Friday, hitting $944.26. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 321,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,186,464. The firm has a market cap of $418.76 billion, a PE ratio of 45.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $930.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $963.49. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. The firm had revenue of $95.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $94.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.87 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 22.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $915.93, for a total value of $2,015,046.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,134 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,534,244.62. This trade represents a 23.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Breakwater Capital Group raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 536.3% during the 3rd quarter. Breakwater Capital Group now owns 6,401 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,827,000 after buying an additional 5,395 shares during the last quarter. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 16.9% during the third quarter. Eclectic Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,236 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. LifeGoal Investments LLC lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 587.9% during the third quarter. LifeGoal Investments LLC now owns 3,467 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,156,000 after purchasing an additional 2,963 shares during the period. Pacifica Partners Inc. lifted its position in Costco Wholesale by 2.7% during the third quarter. Pacifica Partners Inc. now owns 982 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $898,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Finally, Stableford Capital II LLC boosted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 3.1% in the third quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 1,286 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year. Total comparable sales increased 11.4%, while comparable sales excluding gasoline and foreign-exchange effects rose 7.6%. U.S. comparable sales gained 12.5%, and digital sales grew approximately 19%, signaling broad-based demand and a strong start to fiscal 2027. Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports September Sales Results
• Positive Sentiment: UBS characterized Costco’s September performance as evidence of accelerating trends, while analysts highlighted strong store traffic and transaction growth. These metrics are important because they suggest the sales increase reflects customer demand rather than only higher prices. Costco September Sales Point to Accelerating Trends, UBS Says
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson analyst Michael Baker maintained a Hold rating after a Costco warehouse tour. The company’s operating momentum remains favorable, but the unchanged stance indicates that current valuation and execution risks may already be reflected in the shares. Costco Warehouse Club Tour
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts caution that part of September’s comparable-sales surge was helped by gasoline prices and other potentially temporary or lower-margin factors. This could make it harder for Costco to sustain the headline growth rate and expand profits.
• Negative Sentiment: At roughly 45 times trailing earnings, Costco remains expensive for a retailer with net margins near 3%. Investors are therefore pricing in continued strong growth, leaving the stock vulnerable if traffic, margins, tariffs, or international performance disappoint. A lawsuit alleging misleading “sugar-free” labeling on a Kirkland drink mix is a minor additional risk, though its financial impact is currently unclear.

About Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a membership-based warehouse retail business under the Costco name. The company sells a broad selection of merchandise, including groceries, fresh foods, beverages, appliances, electronics, furniture, apparel, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal products. It also offers services such as gasoline, pharmacies, optical departments, hearing-aid centers, food courts, travel services, and business delivery in selected markets.

Costco markets many products under its private-label Kirkland Signature brand and sells merchandise through warehouse locations and e-commerce platforms.