Costco (COST) closed at $1,022.78 in the latest trading session, marking a +2.33% move from the prior day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.16% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 0.11%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.71%.
Heading into today, shares of the warehouse club operator had gained 1.9% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 3.35% and the S&P 500's gain of 8.81%.
Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Costco in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on May 28, 2026. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $4.91, showcasing a 14.72% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $69.36 billion, indicating a 9.74% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $20.32 per share and a revenue of $299.75 billion, demonstrating changes of +12.95% and +8.91%, respectively, from the preceding year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Costco. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.
Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.03% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. As of now, Costco holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at valuation, Costco is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 49.2. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 25.93.
Investors should also note that COST has a PEG ratio of 4.92 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. Retail - Discount Stores stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 2.92 based on yesterday's closing prices.
The Retail - Discount Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 55, putting it in the top 23% of all 250+ industries.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.
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Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).