Research Analysts Set Expectations for COST FY2026 Earnings

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) – Research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, October 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the retailer will earn $19.95 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $20.11. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s Q4 2026 earnings at $6.36 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $6.96 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $21.87 EPS.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The retailer reported $5.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.06. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.94% and a return on equity of 30.09%. The firm had revenue of $86.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $86.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.15 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,137.00 to $1,140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. BTIG Research started coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,115.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $1,225.00 to $1,130.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Roth Capital set a $907.00 price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,333.00 to $1,418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,068.15.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $937.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.03. Costco Wholesale has a 52-week low of $867.34 and a 52-week high of $1,078.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $947.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $971.46. The stock has a market cap of $415.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.98.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of COST. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 19,825 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,165,000 after buying an additional 2,172 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,029,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,628 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,160,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the last quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 6.0% in the first quarter. Weaver Capital Management LLC now owns 4,961 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,692,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Register Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 34.3% in the first quarter. Register Financial Advisors LLC now owns 580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Costco Wholesale

In other Costco Wholesale news, EVP Teresa A. Jones sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.05, for a total transaction of $595,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 2,362 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,343,222.10. This represents a 20.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 3,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $915.00, for a total transaction of $3,093,615.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,912,100. The trade was a 25.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.56%.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.