Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST)
NASDAQ:COST
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COST Stock Chart & Stats
$999.89
$2.28(0.25%)
At close: 4:00 PM EST
$999.89
$2.28(0.25%)
Day’s Range― - ―
52-Week Range$844.06 - $1,096.50
Previous CloseN/A
Volume603.52K
Average Volume (3M)1.93M
Market Cap
$441.52B
Enterprise Value$425.04B
Total Cash (Recent Filing)$20.00B
Total Debt (Recent Filing)$5.67B
Price to Earnings (P/E)48.0
Beta0.44
Next Earnings
Sep 24, 2026EPS Estimate
6.55Next Dividend Ex-DateN/A
Dividend Yield0.59%
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)19.91
Shares Outstanding443,652,530
10 Day Avg. Volume2,309,967
30 Day Avg. Volume1,931,658
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio5.23
Price to Book (P/B)14.36
Price to Sales (P/S)1.52
P/FCF Ratio53.44
Enterprise Value/Market Cap0.96
Enterprise Value/Revenue1.45
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit11.24
Enterprise Value/Ebitda29.37
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$1,110.20Price Target Upside11.03% Upside
Rating ConsensusModerate Buy
Number of Analyst Covering24
EPS Forecast (FY)20.51
Revenue Forecast (FY)$301.13B
Bulls Say, Bears Say
Bulls Say
Balance Sheet Strength And Low LeverageSustained deleveraging and a materially lower debt-to-equity (to ~0.07 TTM) with equity expansion provide durable financial flexibility. This reduces refinancing risk, supports capex and shareholder returns, and preserves investment-grade capacity over the coming years.
Robust Operating Cash Flow And Free Cash FlowConsistent, large operating cash generation and multi‑billion free cash flow give Costco durable funding for warehouse openings, digital investments, dividends and buybacks. Strong cash conversion underpins reinvestment without needing significant external financing.
Digital Acceleration And High E-commerce ConversionRapid digital adoption and high conversion from personalized recommendations strengthen omnichannel reach and customer stickiness. Durable digital growth reduces reliance on store-only traffic, expands sales channels, and supports higher lifetime value and margin mix over time.
Bears Say
Gross Margin Pressure And Mix ShiftStrategic price investments and a shift into lower‑margin categories (gas, e‑commerce, pharmacy) create structural pressure on gross margins. If lower markup categories remain a larger share of sales, margin recovery may be constrained absent offsetting productivity gains.
Moderating Membership Growth RateMembership fees are a core recurring profit driver. A sustained slowdown in paid-member growth or renewals would trim high-quality recurring revenues, weaken operating leverage and pressure long-term comp trends that support margin and cash generation.
Delivery/logistics Dependency And Potential Capex NeedReliance on third-party delivery exposes Costco to service reliability and margin risk; vertical integration to secure capabilities would require meaningful capex and operational complexity. This structural choice could increase costs and extend payback periods for logistics investment.
Costco News
COST FAQ
What was Costco Wholesale Corp.’s price range in the past 12 months?
Costco Wholesale Corp. lowest stock price was $844.06 and its highest was $1096.50 in the past 12 months.
What is Costco Wholesale Corp.’s market cap?
Costco Wholesale Corp.’s market cap is $441.52B.
When is Costco Wholesale Corp.’s upcoming earnings report date?
Costco Wholesale Corp.’s upcoming earnings report date is Sep 24, 2026 which is in 117 days.
How were Costco Wholesale Corp.’s earnings last quarter?
Costco Wholesale Corp. released its earnings results on May 28, 2026. The company reported $4.93 earnings per share for the quarter, the consensus estimate of $4.93 by $0.
Is Costco Wholesale Corp. overvalued?
According to Wall Street analysts Costco Wholesale Corp.’s price is currently Undervalued.
Does Costco Wholesale Corp. pay dividends?
Costco Wholesale Corp. pays a Quarterly dividend of $1.3 which represents an annual dividend yield of 0.59%. See more information on Costco Wholesale Corp. dividends here
What is Costco Wholesale Corp.’s EPS estimate?
Costco Wholesale Corp.’s EPS estimate is 6.55.
How many shares outstanding does Costco Wholesale Corp. have?
Costco Wholesale Corp. has 443,652,530 shares outstanding.
What happened to Costco Wholesale Corp.’s price movement after its last earnings report?
Costco Wholesale Corp. reported an EPS of $4.93 in its last earnings report, expectations of $4.93. Following the earnings report the stock price went down -3.907%.
Which hedge fund is a major shareholder of Costco Wholesale Corp.?
Currently, no hedge funds are holding shares in COST
What is the TipRanks Smart Score and how is it calculated?
Smart Score combines eight research factors - such as analyst recommendations, hedge fund trends, and technical indicators - to measure a stock’s outlook. These signals are unified into a single score that reflects bullish or bearish momentum. See detailed methodology
Costco Stock Smart Score
Outperform
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Analyst Consensus
Moderate Buy
Average Price Target:
$1,110.20 (11.03% Upside)
$1,110.20 (11.03% Upside)
Blogger Sentiment
Bullish
COST Sentiment 70%
Sector Average ―
Sector Average ―
Hedge Fund Trend
Decreased
By 44.0K Shares
Last Quarter.
Last Quarter.
Insider Transactions
Sold Shares
Worth $1.4M over
the Last 3 Months
the Last 3 Months
Crowd Wisdom
Negative
Last 7 Days ▲ 0.5%
Last 30 Days ▼ 1.7%
Last 30 Days ▼ 1.7%
News Sentiment
Bullish
Bullish news 79%
Bearish news 20%
Bearish news 20%
Technicals
SMA
Positive
20 days / 200 days
Momentum
-4.66%
12-Months-Change
Fundamentals
Return on Equity
28.27%
Trailing 12-Months
Asset Growth
14.22%
Trailing 12-Months
Company Description
Costco Wholesale Corp.
Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories. The company offers sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, liquor, and tobacco and deli products; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, garden and patio products, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal products, office supplies, automotive care products, postages, tickets, apparel, small appliances, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and meat, produce, service deli, and bakery products. It also operates pharmacies, opticals, food courts, hearing-aid centers, and tire installation centers, as well as 636 gas stations; and offers business delivery, travel, same-day grocery, and various other services online in various countries. As of August 29, 2021, the company operated 815 membership warehouses, including 564 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 105 in Canada, 39 in Mexico, 30 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 16 in South Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 12 in Australia, 3 in Spain, 1 in Iceland, 1 in France, and 1 in China. It also operates e-commerce websites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
COST Company Deck
COST Earnings Call
Q3 2026
0:00 / 0:00
Earnings Call Sentiment|Positive
The call highlighted strong top‑line growth (net sales +11.6%, comps +9.8%), robust digital momentum (digital comps +21.5%, site/app traffic +37%), record gas volumes and solid membership metrics (membership income +10.7%, executive memberships +9.6%), supported by continued investment in warehouses, digital and same‑day delivery. Headwinds included gross margin pressure driven by mix and strategic price investments, near‑term inflation risks (notably gas and resin‑driven nonfood inflation), moderated membership growth rate (4.1%) and some one‑time SG&A offsets (healthcare, legal). Many of the negative items were framed as strategic or cyclical (e.g., temporary margin investments to drive traffic, lapping LIFO charges) and management emphasized strong demand, stability in supply chain, and long‑term growth initiatives (real estate pipeline, retail media, AI). Overall, the positives on sales, digital acceleration, membership health and record volumes materially outweigh the transitory and managed challenges discussed on the call.View all COST earnings summariesCOST Net sales Breakdown
40.59% Foods and Sundries
26.38% Non-Foods
14.07% Fresh Foods
18.96% Warehouse Ancillary and Other Businesses
COST Stock 12 Month Forecast
Average Price Target
$1,110.20
▲(11.03% Upside)
Technical Analysis
Ownership Overview
0.09% Insiders
16.15% Mutual Funds
14.89% Other Institutional Investors
44.13% Public Companies and Individual Investors