William Blair Comments on Costco Wholesale Co.’s Q2 2025 Earnings (NASDAQ:COST)

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) – Equities research analysts at William Blair issued their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Costco Wholesale in a report issued on Friday, September 27th. William Blair analyst P. Blee expects that the retailer will post earnings per share of $3.72 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $16.02 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s Q3 2025 earnings at $4.10 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $16.60 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $18.89 EPS.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on COST. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $925.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Melius Research began coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $950.00 price target for the company. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $676.00 to $755.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $881.19.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

COST stock opened at $885.62 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $870.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $817.28. The company has a market cap of $392.62 billion, a PE ratio of 54.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $540.23 and a 12-month high of $923.83.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.91 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 30.02%. Costco Wholesale’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.86 earnings per share.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were paid a $1.16 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 26th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.75%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total value of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 12,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Costco Wholesale news, insider Daniel M. Hines sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $844.20, for a total transaction of $1,266,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 12,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,545,746.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan L. Decker sold 620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $876.50, for a total value of $543,430.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,775 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,320,787.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,974 shares of company stock valued at $4,252,856. Company insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Vima LLC acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 557.1% during the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 46 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at $48,000. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.