Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST) is back in the headlines this weekend as investors and shoppers digest a mix of fresh news: Jim Cramer publicly reaffirmed his long‑term bullish view on the stock, several institutional investors disclosed notable changes to their Costco positions, and the warehouse giant rolled out an aggressive holiday membership deal that effectively drops the entry‑level membership price to just $25 for new members. [1]
At the same time, Costco is leaning into Black Friday–style promotions and a member savings event that ends today (Nov. 16), just weeks after reporting robust fourth‑quarter results and strong October sales growth. [2]
Costco (COST) Stock Snapshot: Price, Valuation and Performance
As of Friday, November 14, 2025, Costco stock closed at $922.98, down 0.23% for the day. Over the past year, COST has barely moved, with a 52‑week gain of just 0.38% compared with a more than 14% rise in the S&P 500, a significant underperformance versus the broader market. [3]
Key current metrics for Costco stock: [4]
- Price (last close): $922.98
- 52‑week range: $871.71 – $1,078.23
- Market cap: ≈ $409 billion
- Trailing P/E ratio: around 51× earnings
- PEG ratio: ~5.5
- Beta:0.98 (trades roughly in line with the market’s volatility)
- Balance sheet: current ratio 1.03, quick ratio 0.55, debt‑to‑equity 0.20
Despite this rich valuation, analysts on balance remain constructive. MarketBeat data shows Costco carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with 19 Buy and 11 Hold recommendations and an average price target near $1,064, implying upside from current levels. [5]
Jim Cramer: Costco Has Been a “Disappointment” Lately – But He “Would Never Sell It”
The most talked‑about Costco headline today comes from Jim Cramer. In an article titled “Costco’s (COST) Been A Disappointment but I’d Never Sell It”, Cramer acknowledges that the stock has fallen about 6.7% over the past month, even as it remains a core holding in his charitable trust. [6]
In the piece, Cramer reiterates that: [7]
- Costco is one of his favorite companies,
- He admires its scale and ability to keep prices low in a still‑inflationary environment, and
- Even after the recent pullback, he “would never sell” the stock from the trust.
His stance comes against the backdrop of Costco’s October 2025 sales report, where the company posted net sales of $21.75 billion for the retail month, up 8.6% year‑over‑year. Comparable sales rose 6.6% overall, with digitally‑enabled sales jumping 16.6% for the four‑week period. [8]
For investors, Cramer’s message is essentially: the stock may be pausing, but the underlying business momentum remains strong, especially in omnichannel and digital.
Institutional Investors Shuffle Their Costco Stakes
November 16 brought a wave of new 13F‑related headlines from MarketBeat, showing active repositioning by institutional investors in Costco:
- Avantax Advisory Services Inc.
- Reduced its COST stake by 6.8% in Q2, selling 3,141 shares.
- Now holds 42,784 shares valued at about $42.35 million. [9]
- Thomas Story & Son LLC
- Cut its position by 7.7%, selling 1,511 shares in Q2.
- Still owns 18,115 shares worth roughly $17.93 million.
- Costco remains its second‑largest holding, making up about 6.9% of its portfolio. [10]
- Westwood Holdings Group Inc.
- Trimmed its Costco stake by 10.9%, down to 9,052 shares worth about $8.96 million. [11]
- Y.D. More Investments Ltd
- Moved in the opposite direction, boosting holdings by 64%.
- Now owns 1,371 shares, valued at roughly $1.3 million. [12]
- Financial Life Planners (yesterday’s filing, Nov. 15)
- Increased its stake by 14.6% to 2,800 shares (about $2.77 million), making Costco its 10th‑largest position. [13]
The filings also highlight how heavily owned Costco is by big money: institutions and hedge funds control roughly 68.5% of the stock, with Vanguard alone holding more than 42.6 million shares (over $40 billion worth at recent prices). [14]
Net‑net, the picture is one of portfolio fine‑tuning, not a wholesale exit. Some managers are trimming after a long run‑up and elevated P/E; others are adding on the recent pullback, consistent with the still‑bullish analyst consensus.
Holiday Membership Deal: Effective $25 Gold Star Membership
On the consumer side, the biggest Costco news today is a holiday membership promotion that dramatically lowers the effective cost of joining. Better Homes & Gardens reports that Costco is offering digital gift cards to new members who sign up before December 21, 2025: [15]
- Gold Star membership
- Standard price: $65 per year
- Promo: $40 Costco digital gift card
- Effective net cost:$25
- Executive membership
- Standard price: $130 per year
- Promo: $60 digital gift card
- Effective net cost:$70
Other key details from the offer: [16]
- Valid only for new members, or former members who’ve been inactive for at least 18 months.
- Requires signing up with a Visa card and enabling auto‑renewal.
- Gift card is delivered digitally and can be used for most Costco purchases, though not at the food court.
This promotion comes about a year after Costco raised U.S. membership fees (Gold Star and Business went from $60 to $65; Executive from $120 to $130) in September 2024. [17] Despite the price hike, Costco’s latest annual filing shows: [18]
- Individual memberships climbed to 68.3 million (up from 63.7M in 2024 and 58.8M in 2023).
- Business memberships grew to 12.7 million.
- Renewal rates remain extremely high: about 92% in the U.S. and around 90% globally.
- Q4 membership fee revenue surged 14% year‑over‑year to $1.724 billion, with less than half of that growth coming from higher prices; the rest is driven by new sign‑ups and upgrades.
In other words, Costco is pairing a higher sticker price with aggressive promotions and still seeing strong member growth and retention—a combination Wall Street often interprets as a sign of pricing power and brand loyalty rather than desperation.
Holiday Savings, Coupon Events and New Deals Ending Today
Beyond memberships, Costco is saturated in holiday deal coverage this weekend:
- “11 Best New Costco Deals Ending Very Soon” – Eat This, Not That highlights limited‑time promotions on popular in‑warehouse items, from seasonal snacks to home goods, many of which expire in mid‑November. [19]
- “7 Best Costco Deals in the Most Popular Aisles Right Now” – Another Eat This piece, also dated November 16, calls out big markdowns in high‑traffic aisles like snacks, frozen foods and household essentials. [20]
- Member Savings / Instant Savings Event (Oct. 20 – Nov. 16, 2025)
- Costco’s Member Savings Event brings a wave of Instant Savings offers both in‑warehouse and online, running from October 20 through today, November 16. [21]
- Costco Business Centers are simultaneously running their own Instant Savings promotions on bulk and business‑oriented items.
- Thanksgiving and Christmas coverage
- GoBankingRates’ piece on “6 Costco Items for Responsible Retirees To Buy Before Hosting Thanksgiving” shines a light on ready‑made turkey dinners, pumpkin pie, cider and other low‑stress holiday staples. [22]
- Best Life’s “7 Best New Costco Christmas Gifts From This Month’s Savings Book” points shoppers toward giftable electronics, toys and seasonal gift sets featured in November’s savings booklet. [23]
Add in social content like a Costco Canada photo report for November 16 showcasing new items and sale tags in Greater Toronto warehouses, and it’s clear Costco is firmly in holiday push mode across North America. [24]
For investors, all of this matters because holiday sales will feed directly into November sales results (set to be reported on December 3, 2025) and Costco’s Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings call, currently expected on December 11, 2025. [25]
Under the Hood: Earnings, Growth and Margin Picture
Costco’s recent fundamentals help explain why so many analysts and high‑profile commentators remain bullish despite the stock’s lofty valuation.
Fiscal 2025 results
For the 16‑week fourth quarter and 52‑week fiscal year ended August 31, 2025, Costco reported: [26]
- Q4 net sales:$84.4 billion, up 8.0% year‑over‑year.
- Full‑year net sales:$269.9 billion, up 8.1%.
- Q4 net income:$2.61 billion, or $5.87 EPS, up from $5.29 EPS a year ago.
- Full‑year net income:$8.10 billion, or $18.21 EPS, versus $16.56 EPS in 2024.
- Q4 membership fee revenue:$1.724 billion, up 14% year‑over‑year.
- E‑commerce comparable sales:
- Q4: +13.6% (16‑week period)
- Full‑year: +15.6%
Costco ended the fiscal year with 914 warehouses globally, and that count has already climbed to 918 with subsequent openings noted in its October sales release. [27]
October 2025 sales
For the four weeks ended November 2, 2025, Costco reported: [28]
- Net sales:$21.75 billion, up 8.6% from $20.03 billion a year ago.
- First nine weeks net sales:$48.33 billion, up 8.3%.
- Comparable sales:
- Total company: +6.6% (4 weeks) and +6.1% (9 weeks).
- Digitally‑enabled: +16.6% (4 weeks) and +21.6% (9 weeks).
These figures reinforce the image of a steady high‑single‑digit grower with a powerful membership flywheel and a digital business that’s growing much faster than overall revenue.
Is Costco’s Rich Valuation Still Justified?
With COST trading at roughly 51× trailing earnings and a modest dividend yield around 0.6%, the central debate is familiar: How much are investors willing to pay for consistency? [29]
On one side:
- Costco continues to post 8%+ sales growth, high‑teens digital growth, and double‑digit membership fee growth. [30]
- Membership renewal rates in the low 90s suggest a deep moat and recurring revenue stream that’s unusually sticky for retail. [31]
- The company maintains a strong balance sheet with low leverage, enabling special dividends or accelerated capex when management sees opportunity. [32]
On the other side:
- COST’s P/E is significantly above big‑box peers like Walmart or Kroger, and even above many other high‑quality consumer names. [33]
- Growth, while healthy, is not explosive, making the stock vulnerable to multiple compression if sales or membership metrics disappoint or if interest rates stay higher for longer.
Jim Cramer’s commentary today essentially sides with the first camp—viewing recent weakness as a temporary setback in a long‑term winner rather than a thesis break. [34]
What to Watch Next if You Follow Costco (COST)
For investors and Costco watchers heading into the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, key dates and metrics include: [35]
- Member Savings Event End (Today – Nov. 16, 2025)
- Final day of the current Instant Savings wave; may provide an early read on how aggressive Costco is willing to be on promotions.
- Holiday Membership Offer (Now–Dec. 21, 2025)
- Watch for commentary on incremental sign‑ups and upgrades from the $40/$60 gift card promotion.
- November 2025 Sales Release – December 3, 2025 (scheduled)
- The first hard data point connecting today’s promotions to actual sales and traffic.
- Q1 Fiscal 2026 Earnings – December 11, 2025 (expected)
- Updates on membership trends, traffic, ticket sizes, and any management color on the macro consumer environment and tariffs.
- Ongoing coverage of policy changes and member experience
- Recent articles have highlighted new membership‑only access rules for food courts and “polarizing” policies that aim to generate more revenue per member without compromising loyalty—an area to monitor for potential backlash. [36]
Bottom Line
On November 16, 2025, Costco sits at an interesting intersection:
- The stock is consolidating after a stellar multi‑year run, leaving valuation elevated but no longer euphoric.
- The business continues to deliver high‑single‑digit revenue growth, robust digital gains, and sticky membership economics.
- New developments today—Jim Cramer’s renewed endorsement, a wave of institutional 13F filings, a $25 effective membership deal, and heavy holiday promotions—only underscore Costco’s dual identity as both a beloved consumer brand and a core long‑term holding for many professional investors. [37]
For investors, the question isn’t whether Costco is a good company—its latest numbers and the loyalty of members and analysts alike make that clear—but whether today’s price fairly reflects the next few years of growth.
As always, this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Investors should do their own research and consider their risk tolerance before buying or selling Costco stock.
References
1. finviz.com, 2. investor.costco.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.marketbeat.com, 5. www.marketbeat.com, 6. finviz.com, 7. finviz.com, 8. investor.costco.com, 9. www.marketbeat.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. www.marketbeat.com, 12. www.marketbeat.com, 13. www.marketbeat.com, 14. www.marketbeat.com, 15. www.bhg.com, 16. www.bhg.com, 17. customerservice.costco.com, 18. www.spokesman.com, 19. www.eatthis.com, 20. www.eatthis.com, 21. dealsfinders.com, 22. www.gobankingrates.com, 23. bestlifeonline.com, 24. www.instagram.com, 25. investor.costco.com, 26. investor.costco.com, 27. investor.costco.com, 28. investor.costco.com, 29. www.macrotrends.net, 30. investor.costco.com, 31. www.spokesman.com, 32. investor.costco.com, 33. seekingalpha.com, 34. finviz.com, 35. investor.costco.com, 36. www.eatthis.com, 37. finviz.com
