Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading 1.1% Higher – Still a Buy?

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) was up 1.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $961.64 and last traded at $952.54. Approximately 8,228,505 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 271% from the average session volume of 2,218,054 shares. The stock had previously closed at $942.24.

Key Headlines Impacting Costco Wholesale

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

• Positive Sentiment: Costco opened its first standalone gas station in Southern California, expanding the company’s fuel footprint and creating another member traffic driver that could support sales and loyalty. Costco’s first standalone gas station opens in Southern California
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted Costco’s strong customer engagement, including popular product reviews and shopping tips, reinforcing the brand’s reputation for value and recurring demand. 5 Costco electronics with the best reviews and fewest returns
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage about Costco’s growing cash pile revived speculation that the company could announce another special dividend later in 2026, which would be a potential catalyst for income-focused investors. Costco’s Cash Pile Is Building. Is a Special Dividend Coming in the Second Half of 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks noted that COST has attracted heavy recent user interest, but the item did not include a new fundamental development or clear catalyst. Investors Heavily Search Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary remains mixed-to-bullish overall, but Costco’s valuation is already rich, which can limit near-term upside even when fundamentals stay strong. 3 Reasons to Buy Costco Right Now, and 1 Reason to Avoid It
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling drew attention after director Kenneth Denman sold 885 shares, a move that can weigh on sentiment even though the sale was small relative to his remaining holdings. SEC filing for Kenneth D. Denman transaction

Analysts Set New Price Targets

COST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $917.00 to $975.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of 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. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, June 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,104.00 to $1,106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $977.00 to $1,011.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,061.45.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 1.1%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $996.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $970.66. 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 cap of $422.43 billion, a PE ratio of 47.91, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.88.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 28th. The retailer reported $4.93 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $70.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $70.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Costco Wholesale Corporation will post 20.38 EPS for the current year.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 1st were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Costco Wholesale news, Director Kenneth D. Denman sold 885 shares of Costco Wholesale stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $957.45, for a total value of $847,343.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,575,653.55. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter valued at $2,781,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Costco Wholesale by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 20,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $15,835,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Costco Wholesale by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 140,429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,098,000 after acquiring an additional 27,625 shares in the last quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 56.7% in the 4th quarter. Curtis Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,535 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,911,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Finally, Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,300,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.