BMO Capital Markets Boosts Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $1,315.00

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $1,175.00 to $1,315.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the retailer’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ target price suggests a potential upside of 31.20% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on COST. Roth Mkm reissued a “sell” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $890.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Twenty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,035.35.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock traded up $19.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,002.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,431,085 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,437,303. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Costco Wholesale has a one year low of $844.06 and a one year high of $1,067.08. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $959.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $935.92. The stock has a market cap of $444.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 1.01.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The retailer reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.55 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $69.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $68.96 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 29.35% and a net margin of 2.96%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Costco Wholesale will post 18.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $986.26, for a total transaction of $838,321.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,169,907.28. This represents a 16.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP James C. Klauer sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $939.00, for a total value of $1,408,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 44,837 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 6,915 shares of company stock worth $6,317,097 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,195,415,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 838.9% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,125,405 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,282,182,000 after acquiring an additional 5,472,968 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in Costco Wholesale by 907.1% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,785,080 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,539,346,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607,833 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 96,316.6% in the 2nd 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. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1,586.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,137,436 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $980,857,000 after purchasing an additional 1,070,005 shares during the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 double beat — Revenue of ~$69.6B, EPS $4.58 and comparable-store sales up ~7.4%; membership income and digital sales were notable drivers, supporting the “resilient demand” thesis. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raise targets and reiterate bullish ratings after the quarter — multiple firms (Raymond James, Telsey, JPMorgan and others) pushed targets higher and BMO set a new street-high view, which supports further upside in sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Balance-sheet strength and capital-return thesis — cash has grown (reported >$17B), low leverage and ongoing buybacks spark talk of special dividends or accelerated returns, a bullish catalyst for holders. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO commentary on tariff refunds — management said any tariff refunds would be returned to members via lower prices, which could help volumes but may limit margin upside; watch follow-up details. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing expansion — local site approvals and new-store openings continue (e.g., Port St. Lucie, Viva White Oak), supporting longer-term comp/store growth but with limited immediate price impact. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Muted stock reaction / slight pullback — despite the beat and positive headlines, shares dipped in pre-/after-hours trading and showed a tepid intraday move, indicating some profit-taking or that expectations were already baked in. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions — coverage pieces highlight a rich multiple (high P/E) and ask whether shares already price in growth, creating a risk that positive results won’t drive a sustained rally without more visible margin/growth acceleration. 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.