Costco’s Stock Has a Problem: It’s Almost Too Good

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By Vandita Jadeja Published

Quick Read

  • Costco earns a BUY with 90% confidence and a $1,023 target, but at 48x earnings, only 7% upside remains.

  • Costco trades at 48x earnings versus Walmart's 41x but grows revenue nearly twice as fast, while BJ's 90% renewal rate validates the membership model.

  • Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Costco didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Costco’s Stock Has a Problem: It’s Almost Too Good

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My 24/7 Wall St. price target for Costco (NASDAQ:COST | COST Price Prediction) lands at $1,022.62, a modest step up from today’s $952.75. The model rates COST a buy with 90% confidence, but upside is narrow. Costco executes at an elite level, and the market already knows it.

An infographic titled '12-Month Price Prediction: Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ: COST)' from 24/7 Wall St. The call section shows a Current Price of $952.75 and a Price Target of $1,022.62, recommending a BUY with +7.33% upside and 90% confidence. 'HOW WE GOT THERE' section details Trailing P/E-Based Price at $952.75, Forward P/E-Based Price at $907.47, Analyst Consensus at $1,077.31, and a Weighted Base Price of $967.48, depicted with blue bar charts. 'OUR ADJUSTMENTS (247Factor)' shows Base Price $967.48 adjusted by +5.7% to a Final Target $1,022.62, with key drivers listed as +45.5% YoY Earnings Growth, Moderate Analyst Bullishness, and Price Proximity to 52W High. The 'BULL CASE' section, with green icons, lists Membership Fee Growth (10.7-14.0%), Executive Penetration (75.0% of Sales), E-commerce Traffic Surge (+37%), and a Bull Target of $1,129.73 (+18.58% Return). The 'BEAR CASE' section, with red icons, lists Tariff/Geopolitical Risk, Valuation Risk (Trailing P/E 48, PEG 5), Insider Selling Activity, and a Bear Target of $942.73 (-1.05% Return). The 'THE BOTTOM LINE' section reiterates BUY: $1,022.62 Target (+7.33%) and a summary statement.
24/7 Wall St.

24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary

Metric Value
Current Price $952.75
24/7 Wall St. Price Target $1,022.62
Upside 7.33%
Recommendation BUY
Confidence Level 90%

A Flat Year Hiding a Strong Business

Costco shows stellar fundamentals meeting stalled price action. The stock is up 10.97% year to date but down 2.31% over the last year, trading about 2% below its 52-week high of $1,094.76 and well off the $840.35 low.

Fiscal Q3 2026, reported May 28, 2026, delivered EPS of $4.93 on revenue of $70.527 billion, up 11.58% year over year, with net income rising 15.19%. Comparable sales grew 9.8%, digital comps jumped 21.5%, and the worldwide membership renewal rate held at 89.7%.

COST earnings explorer

The Case for $1,129 and Higher

Bulls have real ammunition. Our bull scenario points to $1,129.73, or an 18.58% total return. Membership fee income compounds at a 10.7% to 14.0% pace, executive membership penetration has climbed to 75% of sales, and e-commerce traffic surged 37% last quarter.

Warehouse count targets 940 by fiscal year-end. The Street’s consensus target of $1,077.31, backed by 4 Strong Buy and 19 Buy ratings, reflects that conviction.

COST price target

What Could Go Wrong

The bear case takes COST to $942.73, a 1.05% loss. At a trailing P/E of 48 and a PEG of 5, valuation leaves no margin for a soft quarter. Tariff pressure, FX volatility, and rising wages remain live risks flagged in the 10-Q. Insider activity has skewed to selling.

Heavy capex on warehouses and distribution suppresses near-term free cash flow, though Costco’s 29.1% return on equity argues reinvestment earns its keep.

How Costco Compares to Walmart and BJ’s

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is the direct scale comp. WMT trades at a P/E of 41 with a market cap of $896.56 billion, growing revenue at 6.1% in Q1 FY2027. Costco trades at a P/E of 48 while growing revenue nearly twice as fast, supporting the premium.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) is the closest membership-model peer. BJ posted 9.86% revenue growth in Q1 FY2027 with a 90% tenured member renewal rate, on a market cap of $12.28 billion. The membership economics validate Costco’s model, but BJ’s smaller footprint underscores why COST commands scarcity value.

Company P/E Ratio Market Cap
Costco 48 $420.3B
Walmart 41 $896.6B
BJ’s N/A $12.3B

Quality Compounder at a Full Price

The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $1,022.62 is a buy with 90% confidence, but 7.33% upside is modest. Membership fee income and renewal rates form retail’s closest subscription moat.

The 200-day moving average sits near $958.09, a level worth watching. Key signals to monitor include comp sales growth holding above 5% and continued margin expansion.

Extending the model assumes current comp-sales momentum and membership economics persist.

Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target
2026 $1,022
2027 $1,085
2028 $1,150
2029 $1,215
2030 $1,279

These assume roughly 30 warehouses annually and renewal rates near 90%. Digital penetration gains offer upside, while tariff shocks or membership fatigue could compress multiples toward the bear-case $1,066.95 five-year outcome.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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About the Author Vandita Jadeja →

Vandita Jadeja is a financial copywriter who loves to read and write about stocks. She believes in buying and holding for long term gains. Her knowledge of words and numbers helps her write clear stock analysis. She has contributed to several publications, including the Joy Wallet, Benzinga, The Motley Fool and InvestorPlace.

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