Q1 Earnings Anticipation: Discussions on X about Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) are heating up as the company prepares to release its fiscal 2026 first-quarter earnings after the market close on Thursday. Many users are speculating on whether Costco will meet or exceed analyst expectations of $4.28 EPS on $67.2 billion in revenue. The buzz reflects curiosity about how the retailer will navigate slowing comparable sales growth.
Tariff and Valuation Concerns: Another hot topic on X centers on recent tariff-related uncertainties impacting Costco, with some users noting Treasury Secretary comments on potential reimbursement complications for foreign supplier price cuts. There’s also chatter about the stock’s high valuation, hovering near a 50x P/E ratio, prompting debates on whether the premium price is justified. This has added a layer of skepticism to the ongoing conversation.
Membership and Growth Outlook: Despite concerns, many on X remain optimistic about Costco’s long-term growth, pointing to strong digital sales and international expansion as key drivers. Posts highlight high membership renewal rates as a sign of customer loyalty, though some question the sustainability of fee income after recent hikes. The planned addition of 30 new stores in FY26 is also sparking interest as a potential growth catalyst.
Note: This discussion summary was generated from an AI condensation of post data.
Costco Wholesale Corporation Insider Trading Activity
Costco Wholesale Corporation insiders have traded $COST stock on the open market 9 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 9 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $COST stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- YORAM RUBANENKO (Executive Vice President) sold 4,000 shares for an estimated $3,899,852
- RUSSELL D MILLER (Sr. Executive Vice President) sold 3,381 shares for an estimated $3,093,615
- CLAUDINE ADAMO (Executive Vice President) sold 2,700 shares for an estimated $2,526,336
- WILLIAM RICHARD WILCOX (Executive Vice President) sold 2,400 shares for an estimated $2,232,312
- CATON FRATES (Executive Vice President) sold 1,540 shares for an estimated $1,401,430
- TIFFANY MARIE BARBRE sold 1,239 shares for an estimated $1,158,352
- TERESA A. JONES (Executive Vice President) sold 600 shares for an estimated $595,230
- SUSAN L DECKER has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 547 shares for an estimated $536,058.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
Costco Wholesale Corporation Congressional Stock Trading
Members of Congress have traded $COST stock 7 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 4 have been purchases and 3 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $COST stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:
- REPRESENTATIVE RICHARD MCCORMICK purchased up to $15,000 on 11/05.
- REPRESENTATIVE GILBERT RAY CISNEROS, JR. purchased up to $15,000 on 10/17.
- SENATOR SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO sold up to $15,000 on 10/17.
- SENATOR JOHN BOOZMAN purchased up to $15,000 on 10/09.
- REPRESENTATIVE VAL T. HOYLE sold up to $15,000 on 09/23.
- REPRESENTATIVE LISA C. MCCLAIN has traded it 2 times. They made 1 purchase worth up to $15,000 on 06/17 and 1 sale worth up to $15,000 on 07/10.
To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard.
Costco Wholesale Corporation Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 1,788 institutional investors add shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation stock to their portfolio, and 1,834 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- UBS AM, A DISTINCT BUSINESS UNIT OF UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC added 2,922,311 shares (+91.1%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $2,704,978,730
- KINGSTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS TEXAS, LLC removed 2,358,874 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $2,183,444,540
- FMR LLC removed 1,460,694 shares (-15.5%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $1,352,062,187
- AMUNDI added 986,182 shares (+45.0%) to their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $912,839,644
- NUVEEN, LLC removed 953,575 shares (-27.5%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $882,657,627
- BLACKROCK, INC. removed 801,895 shares (-2.3%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $742,258,068
- ASSENAGON ASSET MANAGEMENT S.A. removed 758,869 shares (-91.8%) from their portfolio in Q3 2025, for an estimated $702,431,912
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
Costco Wholesale Corporation Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $COST in the last several months. We have seen 7 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Telsey Advisory Group issued a "Outperform" rating on 12/04/2025
- JP Morgan issued a "Overweight" rating on 11/06/2025
- Oppenheimer issued a "Outperform" rating on 11/03/2025
- BTIG issued a "Buy" rating on 10/15/2025
- Argus Research issued a "Buy" rating on 09/29/2025
- Bernstein issued a "Outperform" rating on 09/26/2025
- Evercore ISI Group issued a "Outperform" rating on 06/17/2025
To track analyst ratings and price targets for Costco Wholesale Corporation, check out Quiver Quantitative's $COST forecast page.
Costco Wholesale Corporation Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $COST recently. We have seen 11 analysts offer price targets for $COST in the last 6 months, with a median target of $1033.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- Joseph Feldman from Telsey Advisory Group set a target price of $1100.0 on 12/04/2025
- Michael Baker from DA Davidson set a target price of $1000.0 on 12/04/2025
- Christopher Horvers from JP Morgan set a target price of $1025.0 on 11/06/2025
- Rupesh Parikh from Oppenheimer set a target price of $1050.0 on 11/03/2025
- Robert Drbul from BTIG set a target price of $1115.0 on 10/15/2025
- David Belinger from Mizuho set a target price of $950.0 on 10/09/2025
- Christopher Graja from Argus Research set a target price of $1200.0 on 09/29/2025
This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.
