New York, Feb 3, 2026, 7:53 PM EST — After-hours
- Costco shares closed up close to 1%, then held steady in after-hours trading.
- Mizuho Securities raised its price target, with Gordon Haskett following suit by pushing its target up as well.
- Investors are bracing for Costco’s January sales figures, set to drop Wednesday.
Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation ticked up in after-hours trading Tuesday following two brokerage firms raising their price targets. The warehouse club is set to release its January sales update any moment now.
That sales report matters because it offers one of the fastest looks investors get at membership-driven traffic and spending, particularly on staples, just before the busiest part of the quarterly earnings season kicks off.
Costco is now a stock with sky-high expectations. Even minor changes in comparable sales — those at stores open at least a year — or any hint of a slowdown in membership growth can trigger a move.
The stock ended the day 0.99% higher at $977.92 and in after-hours trading ticked up 0.01% to $978.00 as of 7:34 p.m. ET, after fluctuating between $964.28 and $990.66 during the session. (StockAnalysis)
Mizuho Securities boosted its price target on Costco to $1,065 from $1,000, maintaining an Outperform rating. The firm cited potential upside driven by a rebound in membership trends and a slowdown in spending growth. (TipRanks)
Gordon Haskett raised its price target to $1,100 from $1,000, per an MT Newswires report cited by MarketScreener. (MarketScreener)
The broader market took a hit, with the S&P 500 slipping 0.84% and the Nasdaq dropping 1.43%, as fears mounted over AI-driven competition squeezing software margins. “We’re seeing a lot of software companies across the spectrum get hit,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth. John Campbell from Allspring Global Investments described it as “an expensive market” where some AI sectors are “priced for perfection.” (Reuters)
Costco’s next hurdle is straightforward: tracking January’s member spending and seeing if digital sales hold steady. Since gasoline prices and currency shifts can skew overall figures, traders zero in on “core” comparable sales, which exclude those variables.
Costco will report January sales on Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. PT (4:15 p.m. ET). The company also plans to release its fiscal second-quarter earnings and February sales figures on March 5, again at 1:15 p.m. PT. (Costco)
The calendar isn’t bare: Costco announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable Feb. 13 to shareholders registered by Jan. 30. (Costco)
The risk remains clear. Should January’s comparable sales disappoint—or if investors sense a slowdown in membership growth—the stock, currently near $1,000, could see a swift drop in value.
Traders are zeroing in on Wednesday’s January sales update, with March 5 lined up for earnings and the following batch of monthly sales figures.
