Q1 EPS Estimates for COST Cut by Telsey Advisory Group

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) – Research analysts at Telsey Advisory Group decreased their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Costco Wholesale in a report issued on Thursday, December 5th. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now forecasts that the retailer will post earnings of $3.85 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate 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 $17.73 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) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $79.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. Costco Wholesale’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.86 earnings per share.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Redburn Atlantic lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $860.00 to $890.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $935.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $980.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $928.50.

Costco Wholesale Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Costco Wholesale stock opened at $992.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $439.80 billion, a PE ratio of 59.90, a P/E/G ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $915.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $878.74. Costco Wholesale has a twelve month low of $606.35 and a twelve month 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.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.47%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,514,232. This represents a 4.91 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 3,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $888.99, for a total transaction of $2,844,768.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,671,983.70. The trade was a 27.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,016 shares of company stock worth $9,826,115 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in COST. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% in the 2nd quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 73.5% during the second quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. now owns 59 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale in the 3rd quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

About Costco Wholesale

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.