William Blair Predicts Lower Earnings for Costco Wholesale

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) – William Blair lowered their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Costco Wholesale in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 5th. William Blair analyst P. Blee now forecasts that the retailer will earn $4.14 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $4.17. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $18.03 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s Q4 2025 earnings at $5.46 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $20.01 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on COST. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Costco Wholesale from $1,075.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $850.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,075.00 target price (up previously from $980.00) on shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nineteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Price Performance

Costco Wholesale stock opened at $1,058.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $469.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.26 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $963.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $916.76. Costco Wholesale has a 1 year low of $697.27 and a 1 year high of $1,066.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new position in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,896,000. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Costco Wholesale during the third quarter worth $249,000. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Costco Wholesale by 5.1% during the third quarter. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC now owns 887 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 7.2% in the third quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,165 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $23,196,000 after purchasing an additional 1,751 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the third quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 33,411 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,620,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Costco Wholesale Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Costco Wholesale’s payout ratio is 27.25%.

About Costco Wholesale

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.