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Costco Wholesale (COST) Stock Price, News & Analysis

$870.75
+2.84 (+0.33%)
(As of 06/18/2024 ET)
Today's Range
$867.70
$873.96
50-Day Range
$709.51
$870.75
52-Week Range
$516.54
$873.96
Volume
1.76 million shs
Average Volume
1.77 million shs
Market Capitalization
$386.03 billion
P/E Ratio
53.95
Dividend Yield
0.53%
Price Target
$751.85

Costco Wholesale MarketRank™ Stock Analysis

Analyst Rating
Moderate Buy
2.73 Rating Score
Upside/​Downside
13.7% Downside
$751.85 Price Target
Short Interest
Healthy
1.43% of Shares Sold Short
Dividend Strength
Strong
Based on Four Factors
Sustainability
-3.92
Upright™ Environmental Score
News Sentiment
0.74mentions of Costco Wholesale in the last 14 days
Based on 28 Articles This Week
Insider Trading
Selling Shares
$567,445 Sold Last Quarter
Proj. Earnings Growth
9.96%
From $15.96 to $17.55 Per Share

Overall MarketRank

New Rank-Based ScoringMarketRank is calculated by averaging available category scores (with extra weight given to analysis and valuation), then ranking the company's weighted average against that of other companies.

4.27 out of 5 stars

Retail/Wholesale Sector

49th out of 192 stocks

Variety Stores Industry

7th out of 11 stocks

COST stock logo

About Costco Wholesale Stock (NASDAQ:COST)

Costco Wholesale Corporation is central to the global warehouse membership club story. The company was founded in 1983 by Jim Sinegal and Jeffrey Brotman but its history dates back to 1976 because of the merger with Price Club. Costco, originally known as Costco Companies, quickly grew in its first two years and became the 1st company to go from $0 to $3 billion in revenue within the 1st 3 years. The company held its IPO in 1985.

Price Club was founded in 1976 by the Price family. It was among the very first warehouse membership clubs and targeted small merchants and businesses. It also saw quick success and went public in 1980. The Price family turned down an offer to merge with Walmart’s Sam’s Club in favor of a more suitable match-up with Costco. Coincidentally, Costco founder Jim Sinegal got his start in the retail business working for Sol Price at his original membership club, FedMart.

The new company was formed in 1993. It owned 206 stores and was called PriceCostco for a time. The Price family eventually exit the business in favor of new operations resulting in the rebranding to Costco Wholesale Corporation. The Price family's new business is called PriceSmart and operates a chain of membership clubs in the Caribbean and Central America. Price Club’s first store, opened in an old Howard Hughes airplane hangar, is still in operation and known as Costco #401.

Today, Costco is based in Issaquah, Washington and it is among the largest businesses in the world. The company operates as a member-only big-box retailer claiming more than 118 million members, it is ranked #10 on the Forbes Fortune 500 list and is the 5th largest retailer internationally. In terms of scale, it is the largest retailer of choice and prime beef, organic foods and rotisserie chickens. Rotisserie chickens are a long-standing tradition at Costco which pioneered their use. The chickens are sold for less than cost and used to attract business into the store.

The company operates through a network of subsidiaries that own warehouses in 11 countries, including the US and Puerto Rico. The company retails branded and private-label merchandise across verticals and categories and at “discounted” or bulk-rate prices. Product categories include grocery and frozen foods, apparel, sporting goods, electronics, auto care, appliances, housewares and even furniture. Nearly 70% of the stores are located in the US with another 13% in Canada and the remainder scattered around the globe.

In addition to retail, the company also provides many services including pharmacy, eye care, food & beverage and auto care centers. The company also operates more than 665 gas stations across its footprint and a robust eCommerce channel. Other services include delivery, travel and curbside pickup. As of the year-end calendar 2022, the company operated more than 840 stores and was on track to open new stores in the coming years. Total revenue in 2022 topped $226 billion, the company employs more than 304,000 individuals and it is a member of the S&P 500, the S&P 100 and the NASDAQ 100.

 

 

COST Stock Price History

COST Stock News Headlines

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close up to the Costco Wholesale sign store
Costco Wholesale Can Hit New Highs; A Rebound Is Coming
Costco Wholesale NASDAQ: COST is highly valued because the pullback in price action provides a strategic opportunity to capitalize on it. The reason is evident in the results and in the analysts' increased price targets.
close up to the Costco Wholesale sign store
Costco Wholesale Can Hit New Highs; A Rebound Is Coming
Costco had another solid quarter and will sustain high-single-digit growth in 2025; analysts raise their price targets, setting up a buy-the-dip opportunity.
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MarketBeat Week in Review – 5/20 - 5/24
The market sold off sharply despite a strong earnings report from Nvidia; a short trading week will include economic reports that could bring more volatility
A shopper moves past a display of items in a Costco warehouse Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Sheridan, …
What's open and closed on Memorial Day
In what had long been celebrated every May 30 to honor America’s fallen soldiers, Memorial Day officially became a federal holiday in 1971, observed on the last Monday in May
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MarketBeat Week in Review – 5/20 - 5/24 (COST)
The market sold off sharply despite a strong earnings report from Nvidia; a short trading week will include economic reports that could bring more volatility
Musk’s new company could top a trillion?
The investment legend who predicted the rise of Bitcoin, Facebook and streaming services like Netflix… Just released the details on what he’s calling Elon’s Project X-9840.
Could Costco Be a Millionaire-Maker Stock?
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 0.6% After Analyst Upgrade
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.6%
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Shares Up 0.5%
The 3 Best Retail Stocks to Buy in June 2024
Is It Too Late to Buy Costco Stock Now?
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See More Headlines
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Company Calendar

Ex-Dividend for 5/10 Dividend
4/25/2024
Dividend Payable
5/10/2024
Last Earnings
5/30/2024
Today
6/18/2024
Fiscal Year End
8/31/2024
Next Earnings (Estimated)
9/24/2024

Industry, Sector and Symbol

Industry
Variety stores
Sub-Industry
Hypermarkets & Super Centers
Current Symbol
NASDAQ:COST
CUSIP
22160K10
Employees
316,000
Year Founded
1983

Price Target and Rating

Average Stock Price Target
$751.85
High Stock Price Target
$940.00
Low Stock Price Target
$550.00
Potential Upside/Downside
-13.7%
Consensus Rating
Moderate Buy
Rating Score (0-4)
2.73
Research Coverage
26 Analysts

Profitability

Net Income
$6.29 billion
Pretax Margin
3.78%

Debt

Sales & Book Value

Annual Sales
$242.29 billion
Cash Flow
$19.76 per share
Book Value
$56.55 per share

Miscellaneous

Free Float
442,537,000
Market Cap
$386.03 billion
Optionable
Optionable
Beta
0.79

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Should I Buy Costco Wholesale Stock? COST Pros and Cons Explained

Pros

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Costco:

  • Costco reported strong earnings per share for the quarter, beating analyst estimates, indicating a financially healthy company.
  • The company has a high return on equity of 29.33%, showcasing efficient use of shareholder funds to generate profits.
  • Costco recently increased its dividend payout, providing investors with a higher yield on their investment.
  • Institutional investors and hedge funds own a significant portion of Costco's stock, indicating confidence in the company's future performance.
  • Costco's stock price has been steadily increasing, reflecting positive market sentiment and potential for capital appreciation.

Cons

Investors should be bearish about investing in Costco for these reasons:

  • Costco's net margin of 2.83% is relatively low, indicating lower profitability compared to some competitors in the retail industry.
  • The company's revenue growth rate, while positive, is not as high as expected by analysts, potentially limiting future stock price growth.
  • Costco's dividend payout ratio of 28.75% suggests a significant portion of earnings is being distributed as dividends, potentially limiting reinvestment for growth.
  • While Costco has a strong presence in multiple countries, international economic uncertainties could impact its global operations and financial performance.
  • Market competition in the retail sector is intense, and Costco may face challenges in maintaining its market share and profitability in the long term.
These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Please send any questions or comments about these Costco Wholesale pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

COST Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy or sell Costco Wholesale stock right now?

26 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Costco Wholesale in the last year. There are currently 7 hold ratings and 19 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" COST shares.
View COST analyst ratings
or view top-rated stocks.

What is Costco Wholesale's stock price target for 2024?

26 equities research analysts have issued 1 year price targets for Costco Wholesale's shares. Their COST share price targets range from $550.00 to $940.00. On average, they predict the company's share price to reach $751.85 in the next year. This suggests that the stock has a possible downside of 13.7%.
View analysts price targets for COST
or view top-rated stocks among Wall Street analysts.

How have COST shares performed in 2024?

Costco Wholesale's stock was trading at $660.08 on January 1st, 2024. Since then, COST stock has increased by 31.9% and is now trading at $870.75.
View the best growth stocks for 2024 here
.

When is Costco Wholesale's next earnings date?

The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Tuesday, September 24th 2024.
View our COST earnings forecast
.

How were Costco Wholesale's earnings last quarter?

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May, 30th. The retailer reported $3.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.70 by $0.08. The retailer had revenue of $58.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.16 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.83% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 30.02%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.43 earnings per share.
Read the conference call transcript
.

How often does Costco Wholesale pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Costco Wholesale?

Costco Wholesale declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share on Friday, May 10th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 25th. This is a boost from the stock's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02.
Read our dividend analysis for COST
.

Is Costco Wholesale a good dividend stock?

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) pays an annual dividend of $4.64 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 0.54%. The company has been increasing its dividend for 21 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 28.75%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, COST will have a dividend payout ratio of 26.44% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.
Read our dividend analysis for COST.

How were Costco Wholesale's same store sales last quarter?

Costco Wholesale same store sales increased by 10% during the month of May. Costco Wholesale shares climbed by 0% in the first day of trading following the report.

What is Craig Jelinek's approval rating as Costco Wholesale's CEO?

3,447 employees have rated Costco Wholesale Chief Executive Officer Craig Jelinek on Glassdoor.com. Craig Jelinek has an approval rating of 92% among the company's employees. This puts Craig Jelinek in the top 30% of approval ratings compared to other CEOs of publicly-traded companies.

What other stocks do shareholders of Costco Wholesale own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other Costco Wholesale investors own include NVIDIA (NVDA), Walt Disney (DIS), Alibaba Group (BABA), Home Depot (HD), Netflix (NFLX), Visa (V), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Tesla (TSLA), Walmart (WMT) and Boeing (BA).

Who are Costco Wholesale's major shareholders?

Costco Wholesale's stock is owned by a variety of institutional and retail investors. Top institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc. (9.21%), Bank of New York Mellon Corp (1.19%), Capital World Investors (0.86%), Jennison Associates LLC (0.73%), Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD (0.38%) and Principal Financial Group Inc. (0.31%). Insiders that own company stock include Caton Frates, Claudine Adamo, Daniel M Hines, James C Klauer, James C Klauer, James P Murphy, Joseph P Portera, Kenneth D Denman, Mary Agnes Wilderotter, Patrick J Callans, Patrick J Callans, Pierre Riel, Richard A Galanti, Roland Michael Vachris, Russell D Miller, Susan L Decker, Timothy L Rose, W Craig Jelinek and Yoram Rubanenko.
View institutional ownership trends
.

How do I buy shares of Costco Wholesale?

Shares of COST stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.
Compare Top Brokerages Here.

Does Costco Wholesale have any subsidiaries?
The following companies are subsidiares of Costco Wholesale: Costco De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Costco Insurance Agency Inc., Costco President Taiwan Inc., Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd., Costco Wholesale Japan Ltd., Costco Wholesale Korea Ltd., Costco Wholesale Membership Inc., Costco Wholesale United Kingdom Ltd., Innovel Solutions, NW Re Ltd., and PriceCostco International Inc..
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This page (NASDAQ:COST) was last updated on 6/19/2024 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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