What Analysts Think of Costco Stock Ahead of Earnings

Costco Wholesale (COST) is set to report earnings after the bell Thursday for the second quarter of fiscal 2025, with analysts expecting rising revenue and profits.

Costco is projected to report earnings per share of $4.13 on revenue of $63 billion, up from EPS of $3.92 on revenue of $58.44 billion a year ago.

Analysts mostly rate the retailer’s stock as a “buy,” with 12 of the 18 analysts tracked by Visible Alpha issuing a “buy” or equivalent rating for the stock, compared to six “hold” ratings. However, their average price target of $1,063 is just 1.5% above Monday’s close.

Second Quarter Reflecting Membership Fee Hike

The quarter will mark the second since Costco’s first membership fee bump in seven years went into effect in September. Executives have said that because of moves to raise employee wages and lower prices, the impact of the higher membership fees on margins will likely be weighted to the back half of the fiscal year and into fiscal 2026.

Earlier this month, Costco said its comparable store sales for January rose 7.5% year-over-year, with a 9.2% jump in the U.S. and a 13.6% jump in online sales. For the full quarter, analysts expect the metric to come in at 6.6% growth from the same time last year.

JPMorgan analysts said following the sales data release that executives suggested there were no one-time effects like tariffs or weather driving sales. That trend indicated that Costco “continues to gain share while the consumer is better than they were last summer,” the analysts wrote, calling the retailer’s stock a “core holding.”

Costco shares were little changed at $1,046.85 Monday, and have gained close to 40% over the past 12 months. They reached an all-time high at $1,076.86 on Feb. 13.