NASDAQ · COST
Consumer Defensive · Discount Stores
$896.48
Up+$26.25 (+2.93%)
Updated Sep 25, 2026, 6:35 PM
SID Score
5.8/10
Composite research score
Smart Money
39/100
Bearish
Price performance
1M range · 20 trading sessions · Daily adjusted prices
COST closed at $896.48 after 20 trading sessions, down 4.08% for the selected period.
| Date | Open | High | Low | Close | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Sep 15, 2026 | $916.92 | $916.92 | $900.25 | $901.35 | 2.2M |
| Sep 14, 2026 | $913.645 | $921.99 | $910.79 | $918.91 | 2.01M |
| Sep 11, 2026 | $905.17 | $907.3588 | $900.75 | $904.77 | 1.77M |
| Sep 10, 2026 | $906.62 | $912.10 | $899.00 | $902.38 | 1.93M |
| Sep 9, 2026 | $907.00 | $909.2299 | $898.43 | $902.60 | 2.07M |
| Sep 8, 2026 | $912.40 | $915.13 | $906.10 | $910.18 | 2.24M |
| Sep 4, 2026 | $926.09 | $928.04 | $914.54 | $915.74 | 2.08M |
| Sep 3, 2026 | $927.79 | $930.76 | $915.31 | $925.41 | 2.17M |
| Sep 2, 2026 | $938.49 | $938.88 | $920.3101 | $928.48 | 2.17M |
| Sep 1, 2026 | $947.35 | $952.095 | $935.925 | $939.96 | 1.51M |
| Aug 31, 2026 | $945.19 | $949.30 | $940.71 | $943.89 | 2.39M |
| Aug 28, 2026 | $938.935 | $953.73 | $937.11 | $945.47 | 1.4M |
| Aug 27, 2026 | $948.265 | $948.85 | $933.25 | $934.66 | 2.24M |
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning COST.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2026 | BTIG | Buy | — |
| Sep 16, 2026 | Oppenheimer | Outperform | — |
| Sep 16, 2026 | B of A Securities | Buy | — |
| Sep 8, 2026 | Freedom Broker | Buy | — |
| Sep 3, 2026 | BTIG | Buy | — |
Generated Sep 25, 2026, 3:14 PM
Costco delivered a solid Q4 earnings beat with $95.7 billion in quarterly revenue and a 14.9% net income increase, pushing the stock up $19.57 (2.18%) today. However, the muted market reaction to these strong fundamentals reveals investor concerns about the company's valuation and slowing comparable sales growth despite digital strength.
Bottom line: Costco delivered the operational excellence investors expect, but the stock's modest reaction suggests the market has already priced in the company's quality at current levels. While fundamentals remain strong with impressive digital growth and double-digit earnings increases, valuation concerns and macro headwinds (tariffs, consumer spending) warrant caution for new entrants; existing shareholders should monitor comparable sales momentum and management's tariff mitigation strategy.
Yahoo · Sep 25, 2026
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST, XETRA:CTO) reported fiscal fourth-quarter profit and revenue that topped Wall Street estimates, driven by strong membership fee growth and digital sales. The warehouse retailer posted earnings of $6.75 per share for the 16-week period, up 15% from a...
Yahoo · Sep 25, 2026
Costco tops Q4 earnings and revenue estimates as comparable sales rise 9.4% and digitally enabled sales jump 19.5% amid broad-based growth.
Yahoo · Sep 25, 2026
Investing.com -- European medtech has had another bruising year, with only Demant and Sonova outperforming the Stoxx 600 in 2026 as the sector’s once-premium valuation continues to de-rate.
Yahoo · Sep 25, 2026
Costco plans to step up spending in fiscal 2027 as it adds more warehouses and expands digital delivery, backed by resilient member spending.
Interpretive context generated from the platform’s current data sources.
Costco Wholesale Corporation shares traded at $896.48, up 0.12% on the session, per SID market data. The stock has experienced notable weakness over recent periods, declining 6.87% over the past month and 5.87% over the trailing three months, though it maintains a modest 5.15% gain over the past year. COST currently trades below both key moving averages, sitting under its 50-day moving average of $935.30 and its 200-day moving average of $975.25, according to Massive/Polygon technical data. The 14-day relative strength index registers at 34.9, approaching oversold territory below the conventional 30 threshold. Costco's beta of 0.982 indicates the stock moves largely in line with the broader market. Average daily trading volume stands at approximately 2.52 million shares, supporting a market capitalization of roughly $392 billion, positioning Costco among the largest consumer defensive names.
Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.3, reflecting a substantial premium relative to the broader consumer defensive sector, per SID market data. The company's price-to-book ratio stands at approximately 12.96, indicating the market values the retailer at nearly thirteen times its book value, according to SEC filings. Costco's dividend yield currently sits at 0.57%, a relatively modest payout consistent with the company's historical preference for periodic special dividends over high regular yields. The PEG ratio registers at negative 2.13, a function of declining forward growth estimates that distorts this metric's traditional utility for growth-adjusted valuation. With a market capitalization of approximately $392 billion, Costco commands one of the highest valuations in the warehouse retail space. The elevated P/E multiple reflects investor willingness to pay a premium for Costco's membership-based recurring revenue model and consistent execution track record.
Costco Wholesale Corporation registers a smart money score of 50 out of 100, signaling a neutral overall positioning among sophisticated market participants, per SID market data. Institutional ownership scores a perfect 25 out of 25, reflecting robust conviction from large asset managers and pension funds. In contrast, dark pool activity scores a more subdued 9.3 out of 25, suggesting limited aggressive off-exchange accumulation at current price levels. Insider activity scores 12.5 out of 25, with SEC Form 4 filings revealing 15 insider transactions over the past 90 days, comprising 7 purchases and 8 sales. This near-even split between insider buys and sells suggests no decisive directional conviction from company executives. Congressional trading activity scores just 2.9 out of 25, indicating minimal recent interest from lawmakers holding disclosed positions. The divergence between maximum institutional conviction and tepid insider and dark pool signals creates a mixed composite reading for sophisticated money flow analysis.
Costco Wholesale Corporation has delivered four consecutive quarters of earnings beats, according to company earnings reports. The most recent quarter reported earnings per share of $6.75 against analyst estimates of $6.52, representing a positive surprise of $0.23 and the largest beat in the trailing four-quarter period. The prior quarter saw EPS of $4.93 versus the $4.92 consensus, a narrow $0.01 beat. Two quarters ago, Costco posted $4.58 per share against $4.55 expected, a $0.03 upside surprise. The earliest quarter in the lookback period showed EPS of $4.50 versus analyst estimates of $4.36, a $0.14 positive surprise. The earnings trajectory demonstrates sequential growth from $4.50 to $6.75, reflecting a 50% increase across the four reported periods. While Costco has consistently exceeded consensus expectations, the magnitude of surprises has varied considerably, ranging from $0.01 to $0.23 per share.
Wall Street analysts maintain a broadly constructive stance on Costco Wholesale Corporation, with recent coverage actions uniformly reflecting bullish sentiment, per SID consensus data. BTIG reiterated its Buy rating on September 23, 2026, following a prior Buy reiteration on September 3, maintaining consistent positive coverage throughout the month. Oppenheimer reaffirmed its Outperform rating on September 16, while Bank of America Securities simultaneously reiterated its Buy recommendation on the same date, according to Wall Street analyst reports. Notably, Freedom Broker upgraded COST from Hold to Buy on September 8, representing the sole ratings change among the five most recent actions. The absence of any Sell or Underperform ratings in the current coverage cycle underscores broad consensus optimism. All five recent analyst actions resulted in Buy or equivalent ratings, suggesting institutional research desks view the recent stock price weakness as a potential entry opportunity rather than a fundamental deterioration signal.
The latest Smart Investors Daily articles mentioning COST.
