Q1 EPS Estimates for COST Lowered by Telsey Advisory Group

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Telsey Advisory Group lowered their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Costco Wholesale in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now expects that the retailer will earn $3.85 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.90. Telsey Advisory Group has a "Outperform" rating and a $1,050.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale's current full-year earnings is $17.75 per share. Telsey Advisory Group also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale's Q2 2025 earnings at $4.09 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $4.18 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $18.00 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.51 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $4.68 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $19.97 EPS.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The business had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $79.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year.

COST has been the topic of several other reports. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $676.00 to $755.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $855.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,005.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $985.00 to $990.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $980.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $928.50.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST stock traded up $10.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $992.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,736,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,925,008. Costco Wholesale has a 52 week low of $606.35 and a 52 week high of $997.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $913.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $876.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $439.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.90, a P/E/G ratio of 6.06 and a beta of 0.82.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fermata Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 1,968 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,745,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Sculati Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the third quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,649 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,235,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% during the second quarter. Oak Asset Management LLC now owns 4,396 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,737,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its position in Costco Wholesale by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 4,675 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,144,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In other news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total value of $2,844,768.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,630 shares in the company, valued at $7,671,983.70. This trade represents a 27.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total value of $3,921,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,091,512.30. This represents a 30.13 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,016 shares of company stock valued at $9,826,115. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale's payout ratio is 28.00%.

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.