Wells Fargo & Company Cuts Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Price Target to $950.00

28 Sep 2026, 05:48 by Danessa Lincoln · The Markets Daily

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Wells Fargo & Company from $1,000.00 to $950.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on COST. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Costco Wholesale from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,000.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Friday. Citigroup assumed coverage on Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday, June 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $1,020.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,088.00 to $1,159.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Twenty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,045.67.

Read Our Latest Report on COST

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $922.77 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $409.23 billion, a PE ratio of 44.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $933.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $967.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $844.06 and a 12-month high of $1,096.50.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 24th. The retailer reported $6.75 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $95.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $94.97 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 3.04% and a return on equity of 27.60%. As a group, research analysts expect that Costco Wholesale will post 22.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 24th were issued a $1.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 24th. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 28.32%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. bought a new position in Costco Wholesale in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Burk Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Lifetime Wealth Management P.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Costco Wholesale

Here are the key news stories impacting Costco Wholesale this week:

Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat and resilient demand: Costco reported $6.75 in adjusted EPS versus a $6.54 consensus estimate and revenue of $95.72 billion versus expectations of $94.97 billion. Net income rose 14.9% year over year, while comparable sales increased 9.4%, reflecting continued demand for essential goods amid economic uncertainty. Costco fourth-quarter earnings
Positive Sentiment: Digital and membership engagement remain healthy: Digitally enabled comparable sales surged 19.5%, supported by broad-based gains across categories. Costco also highlighted younger members, strong renewal rates and plans to accelerate digital investment. Costco Q4 earnings call highlights
Positive Sentiment: Expansion supports the long-term growth story: Management plans to open 33 new warehouses in fiscal 2027, while pharmacy, gasoline and international operations contributed to the latest results. Analysts including Goldman Sachs, UBS and Bernstein remain constructive, despite adjusting some price targets. Costco expansion plans
Neutral Sentiment: Tariff refunds boosted earnings: A $184 million tariff refund contributed approximately $0.15 per share to fourth-quarter EPS. Costco said most of the money will be reinvested in lower prices for produce, meat, beverages and other merchandise, which may support customer loyalty but makes the earnings beat less reflective of recurring profitability. Costco tariff refunds
Negative Sentiment: Membership growth is the key concern: Analysts noted that membership-fee growth has slowed significantly. Because recurring membership income is central to Costco’s valuation and future guidance, investors may require continued gains in members and renewal rates to justify the stock’s elevated earnings multiple.
Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cost pressures temper enthusiasm: With a price-to-earnings ratio above 46, some analysts argue that much of Costco’s execution is already priced in. Rising memory-component costs also led to a $152 million electronics-related charge, while several firms lowered price targets following the report. Costco valuation analysis

About Costco Wholesale

(Get Free Report)

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-based warehouse clubs that offer a broad selection of merchandise at generally competitive prices. Its product range includes groceries, fresh foods, apparel, appliances, electronics, furniture, jewelry, hardware, and seasonal goods, along with private-label products sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.