Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) Yearly Results: Here's What Analysts Are Forecasting For This Year

Last week, you might have seen that Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) released its yearly result to the market. The early response was not positive, with shares down 2.9% to US$916 in the past week. It was a credible result overall, with revenues of US$275b and statutory earnings per share of US$18.21 both in line with analyst estimates, showing that Costco Wholesale is executing in line with expectations. Earnings are an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance, look at what the analysts are forecasting for next year, and see if there's been a change in sentiment towards the company. With this in mind, we've gathered the latest statutory forecasts to see what the analysts are expecting for next year.

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Following the latest results, Costco Wholesale's 28 analysts are now forecasting revenues of US$296.6b in 2026. This would be a credible 7.8% improvement in revenue compared to the last 12 months. Per-share earnings are expected to expand 10% to US$20.10. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$295.6b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$20.04 in 2026. So it's pretty clear that, although the analysts have updated their estimates, there's been no major change in expectations for the business following the latest results.

See our latest analysis for Costco Wholesale

The analysts reconfirmed their price target of US$1,063, showing that the business is executing well and in line with expectations. It could also be instructive to look at the range of analyst estimates, to evaluate how different the outlier opinions are from the mean. There are some variant perceptions on Costco Wholesale, with the most bullish analyst valuing it at US$1,218 and the most bearish at US$620 per share. Analysts definitely have varying views on the business, but the spread of estimates is not wide enough in our view to suggest that extreme outcomes could await Costco Wholesale shareholders.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Costco Wholesale's past performance and to peers in the same industry. The period to the end of 2026 brings more of the same, according to the analysts, with revenue forecast to display 7.8% growth on an annualised basis. That is in line with its 9.2% annual growth over the past five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in a similar industry are forecast to see their revenues grow 5.0% per year. So it's pretty clear that Costco Wholesale is forecast to grow substantially faster than its industry.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. Fortunately, they also reconfirmed their revenue numbers, suggesting that it's tracking in line with expectations. Additionally, our data suggests that revenue is expected to grow faster than the wider industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple Costco Wholesale analysts - going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here.

However, before you get too enthused, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Costco Wholesale that you should be aware of.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.