NASDAQ · COST
Consumer Defensive · Discount Stores
$982.00
Down-$3.99 (-0.41%)
Updated Oct 15, 2026, 10:57 PM
SID Score
7.2/10
Composite research score
Smart Money
39/100
Bearish
Price performance · COST
1M range · 21 trading sessions · Daily adjusted prices
Prices through Oct 14, 2026
COST closed at $982.00 after 21 trading sessions, up 9.88% for the selected period.
| Date | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2026 | $961.35 | $982.64 | $960.00 | $982.00 | 3.12M |
| Oct 13, 2026 | $965.73 | $966.00 | $953.78 | $954.63 | 1.42M |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $949.455 | $960.74 | $946.695 | $959.44 | 1.48M |
| Oct 9, 2026 | $945.00 | $951.29 | $942.53 | $946.92 | 1.5M |
| Oct 8, 2026 | $952.92 | $953.25 | $939.6017 | $947.92 | 2.27M |
| Oct 7, 2026 | $940.84 | $948.77 | $937.60 | $942.25 | 1.77M |
| Oct 6, 2026 | $921.32 | $937.04 | $919.00 | $935.68 | 1.9M |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $920.00 | $925.335 | $914.7545 | $923.52 | 1.96M |
| Oct 2, 2026 | $921.18 | $921.18 | $909.66 | $920.65 | 2.03M |
| Oct 1, 2026 | $910.87 | $923.50 | $903.775 | $914.94 | 2.13M |
| Sep 30, 2026 | $924.61 | $925.56 | $910.30 | $910.34 | 2.22M |
| Sep 29, 2026 | $916.80 | $925.97 | $912.66 | $924.59 | 2.42M |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $924.385 | $931.09 | $913.00 | $922.92 | 2.44M |
| Sep 25, 2026 | $887.00 | $925.14 | $883.10 | $922.765 | 4.63M |
| Sep 24, 2026 | $908.81 | $909.4276 | $895.26 | $896.48 | 2.89M |
| Sep 23, 2026 | $901.31 | $905.59 | $893.36 | $904.70 | 2.28M |
| Sep 22, 2026 | $902.255 | $903.40 | $895.84 | $899.41 | 1.98M |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $891.07 | $899.44 | $885.50 | $898.48 | 2.16M |
| Sep 18, 2026 | $892.425 | $898.40 | $890.55 | $895.31 | 4.18M |
| Sep 17, 2026 | $895.315 | $895.9999 | $888.04 | $893.93 | 2.32M |
| Sep 16, 2026 | $901.05 | $902.00 | $892.67 | $893.74 | 2.1M |
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning COST.
Company
Market Activity
Research & News
COST research
Company profile and research snapshot.
Founded in 1983, Costco Wholesale now operates a global chain of membership-based warehouse clubs, delivering high-quality goods and services at consistently low prices. As of its most recent fiscal year, Costco operated approximately 910 warehouses, serving more than 80 million members across its three geographic segments: Costco US (approximately 73% of total revenue), Costco Canada (13%), and Costco International (14%).Costco's core value proposition—quality products at unbeatable prices—has yielded consistently strong member renewal rates (93% in the US and Canada and nearly 90% internationally). About 55% of Costco's fiscal 2025 revenue came from its grocery offerings, and another 25% from general merchandise.
Visit company websiteConsensus and target data currently published for this company.
| Date | Firm | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2026 | RBC Capital | Sector Perform | — |
| Sep 28, 2026 | Deutsche Bank | Buy | — |
| Sep 28, 2026 | Argus Research | Buy | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | JP Morgan | Overweight | — |
| Sep 25, 2026 | Wells Fargo | Equal-Weight | — |
Generated Oct 15, 2026, 9:16 PM
Costco shares declined 0.41% today as investors grapple with the stock's premium valuation despite its appeal as a defensive play during uncertain economic times. The modest pullback comes amid broader market rotation toward defensive equities driven by higher-than-expected inflation data, highlighting the tension between COST's quality and its price.
Bottom line: Costco remains caught between its quality fundamentals and stretched valuation, explaining today's modest decline amid broader defensive positioning. While the company's resilience during inflationary periods supports its premium multiple, investors should monitor whether valuation compression risks materialize if growth moderates or rates remain elevated. The key watch: whether new warehouse productivity and digital growth initiatives can justify continued premium valuations.
Yahoo · Oct 15, 2026
CHICAGO, October 15, 2026--LogicMonitor®, the AI-first platform for Autonomous IT, announced the 2026 Elevate Award winners today at its Elevate Community Conference in Chicago. The annual awards recognize LogicMonitor customers and partners that are achieving measurable business and operational outcomes through AI-powered observability.
Yahoo · Oct 15, 2026
Costco trades at a valuation that would make most investors flinch, yet buyers keep stepping in and analysts keep raising targets. The reason comes down to one membership metric that changes the math entirely.
Benzinga · Oct 15, 2026
Records from October 14, 2026 indicate that Representative Rick Allen of Georgia made a sale of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO), valued between $16,002 and $65,000, with the transaction dated September 22, 2026 and filed in
Yahoo · Oct 15, 2026
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) shares are trending on Wednesday night. Costco Board Approves $1.47 Dividend Shares of the Washington-based membership warehouse club edged 0.022% higher to $982.22 in after-hours trading on Wednesday, following the announcement of a quarterly cash dividend of $1.47 per share. Costco’s Board of Directors declared the dividend payable Nov. 13 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 30. Strong September Sales The announcement follows the comp
Interpretive context generated from the platform’s current data sources.
Costco Wholesale Corporation shares are trading at $982, reflecting a modest daily gain of 0.12% per SID market data. Over the trailing one-month period, COST has advanced 3.89%, while the three-month return stands at 4.16% and the one-year gain registers at 9.31%. The stock currently trades above both its 50-day moving average of $931.59 and its 200-day moving average of $972.88, indicating sustained upward momentum according to Massive/Polygon technical data. The 14-day relative strength index reads 73.4, placing COST in overbought territory above the conventional 70 threshold. Average daily trading volume sits at approximately 2.52 million shares, supporting consistent liquidity. Costco's market capitalization stands at approximately $392 billion, reinforcing its position as the dominant player in the Consumer Defensive sector. The stock's beta of 0.982 suggests near-market-level volatility, reflecting Costco's defensive characteristics amid broader market fluctuations.
Costco carries a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 47.3, a substantial premium relative to the broader Consumer Defensive sector, per SID market data. The price-to-book ratio stands at approximately 12.96, underscoring the market's willingness to pay significantly above book value for Costco's membership-driven business model and consistent cash flow generation. The PEG ratio registers at -2.13, which reflects distortions in forward growth rate calculations according to available estimates. Costco's dividend yield sits at 0.57%, relatively modest but consistent with the company's capital allocation strategy that historically includes periodic special dividends. Per SEC filings, the company's valuation metrics reflect investor confidence in its durable competitive advantages, including membership renewal rates and scale-driven pricing power. At a $392 billion market capitalization, Costco's premium valuation places it among the most richly valued large-cap retailers in the United States, commanding multiples well above industry medians.
Costco's composite smart money score stands at 39 out of 100, generating a bearish signal per SID market data. The institutional component scores a perfect 25 out of 25, indicating robust and sustained institutional ownership, while other sub-scores lag considerably. The insider trading component registers at 0.0 out of 25, with SEC Form 4 filings revealing 14 transactions over the past 90 days, evenly split between 7 insider buys and 7 insider sells. This balanced activity suggests no strong directional conviction among corporate insiders. The dark pool activity score sits at 9.2 out of 25, indicating moderate but unremarkable off-exchange trading interest. Congressional trading activity scores 4.9 out of 25, reflecting limited disclosed trading by members of Congress according to 13F institutional filings and congressional disclosure reports. The divergence between strong institutional positioning and weak insider and dark pool signals contributes to the overall bearish smart money composite, suggesting that while large institutions maintain significant positions, other sophisticated market participants show limited incremental conviction at current valuation levels.
Costco has delivered four consecutive quarters of earnings beats, according to company earnings reports. In the most recent quarter ending September 2026, Costco reported earnings per share of $6.75 versus analyst estimates of $6.52, representing a positive surprise of $0.23 and the strongest beat in the trailing four-quarter period. The prior quarter showed EPS of $4.93 against estimates of $4.92, a narrow $0.01 beat, while the March quarter posted $4.58 versus $4.55 estimated. The December quarter delivered EPS of $4.50 compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36, a $0.14 upside surprise. The progression from $4.50 to $6.75 in reported EPS across these four periods demonstrates meaningful sequential earnings growth. Costco's consistent pattern of meeting or exceeding analyst estimates reflects operational discipline and effective cost management, per analyst estimates. The widening beat magnitude in the most recent quarter may indicate accelerating fundamental momentum.
Recent Wall Street analyst activity on COST shows a mixed but modestly constructive consensus, per SID consensus data. On October 9, 2026, RBC Capital reiterated its Sector Perform rating, maintaining a neutral stance on the stock. Deutsche Bank and Argus Research both reaffirmed bullish ratings on September 28, with Deutsche Bank reiterating a Buy and Argus Research maintaining its Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analyst reports. JP Morgan reiterated an Overweight rating on September 25, signaling continued confidence in Costco's relative outperformance potential. Wells Fargo maintained an Equal-Weight rating on the same date, reflecting a more cautious view at current valuation levels. Among the five most recent analyst actions, three carry bullish designations (Buy or Overweight) while two hold neutral ratings (Sector Perform or Equal-Weight), resulting in no downgrades or sell ratings in the recent coverage window. All five actions represent reiterations of prior ratings, indicating stable analyst sentiment rather than shifting conviction on the stock.
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning COST.
