Q1 EPS Estimates for COST Boosted by Telsey Advisory Group

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) – Stock analysts at Telsey Advisory Group lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Costco Wholesale in a research note issued to investors on Friday, March 7th. Telsey Advisory Group analyst J. Feldman now expects that the retailer will earn $4.35 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $4.33. Telsey Advisory Group currently has a “Outperform” rating and a $1,100.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. Telsey Advisory Group also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s Q2 2026 earnings at $4.50 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $800.00 to $1,060.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Costco Wholesale from $950.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. 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 company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

Shares of COST stock opened at $964.31 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $428.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.62, a P/E/G ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50 day moving average is $989.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $943.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $697.27 and a 12-month high of $1,078.24.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The retailer reported $4.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.09 by ($0.07). Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 32.31% and a net margin of 2.93%. The company had revenue of $63.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.02 billion.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Investment Management Corp VA ADV purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 250.0% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 35 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.