Q1 EPS Estimates for Costco Wholesale Lowered by DA Davidson

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) – DA Davidson lowered their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Costco Wholesale in a research report issued on Thursday, December 5th. DA Davidson analyst M. Baker now expects that the retailer will post earnings per share of $3.51 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $3.52. DA Davidson currently has a “Neutral” rating and a $880.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $17.74 per share.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Roth Mkm increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $676.00 to $755.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Redburn Atlantic lowered Costco Wholesale from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $860.00 to $890.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $985.00 to $990.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Costco Wholesale in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $1,016.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $925.00 to $975.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $931.89.

Costco Wholesale Stock Performance

COST opened at $993.40 on Monday. Costco Wholesale has a 12-month low of $618.76 and a 12-month high of $997.71. The stock has a market cap of $440.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.95, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $917.82 and a 200-day moving average of $880.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 26th. The retailer reported $5.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.05 by $0.10. Costco Wholesale had a return on equity of 31.05% and a net margin of 2.90%. The company had revenue of $79.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 756 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. FFG Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. FFG Partners LLC now owns 23,814 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,112,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth about $9,539,000. Garde Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 3,954 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,506,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 2,700 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,394,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the period. 68.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Russell D. Miller sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $891.15, for a total transaction of $3,921,060.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 10,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,091,512.30. This trade represents a 30.13 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard A. Galanti sold 1,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $894.68, for a total value of $1,266,866.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 27,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,514,232. This trade represents a 4.91 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,016 shares of company stock valued at $9,826,115 in the last 90 days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.00%.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

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.