FY2024 EPS Estimates for Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) Increased by Analyst

Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST – Free Report) – Equities researchers at William Blair upped their FY2024 earnings estimates for shares of Costco Wholesale in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 11th. William Blair analyst P. Blee now forecasts that the retailer will post earnings per share of $15.98 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $15.62. The consensus estimate for Costco Wholesale’s current full-year earnings is $15.81 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Costco Wholesale’s Q4 2024 earnings at $5.04 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $17.89 EPS.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The retailer reported $3.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.62 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $58.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.11 billion. Costco Wholesale had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 28.80%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.30 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on COST. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $665.00 to $749.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $612.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 15th. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and set a $680.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Costco Wholesale from $745.00 to $870.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Costco Wholesale in a report on Thursday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $691.28.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on COST

Costco Wholesale Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ COST opened at $731.31 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $730.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $655.35. The firm has a market cap of $324.34 billion, a PE ratio of 47.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.77. Costco Wholesale has a 1 year low of $476.75 and a 1 year high of $787.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.43.

Costco Wholesale Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 26th will be paid a $1.16 dividend. This is a positive change from Costco Wholesale’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 25th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.68%.

Insider Activity at Costco Wholesale

In related news, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director W Craig Jelinek sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $685.93, for a total transaction of $5,487,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 216,212 shares in the company, valued at $148,306,297.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Claudine Adamo sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $714.83, for a total transaction of $1,072,245.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,695 shares in the company, valued at $4,785,786.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,182 shares of company stock worth $9,809,558. 0.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Enterprise Financial Services Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 892 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $589,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 870 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. First National Corp MA ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. First National Corp MA ADV now owns 3,098 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Morton Capital Management LLC CA lifted its holdings in shares of Costco Wholesale by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Morton Capital Management LLC CA now owns 1,564 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,032,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Insight Advisors LLC PA raised its stake in Costco Wholesale by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Insight Advisors LLC PA now owns 2,736 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,807,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 68.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Costco Wholesale

(Get Free Report)

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.

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