New York, January 7, 2026, 15:41 EST — Regular session
- Costco shares slid about 0.6% in afternoon trade as investors waited for December sales due after the close
- A Mizuho upgrade to “outperform” and a $1,000 target has refocused attention on near-term growth signals
- Next catalysts include today’s sales release, a Jan. 15 shareholder meeting and a March 5 earnings call
Costco Wholesale Corp shares eased on Wednesday as traders braced for a December sales update due after the bell, a report that could reset near-term views on the stock. The shares were down 0.6% at $884.07 in afternoon trade.
The timing matters. Costco’s monthly sales releases are one of the few hard reads investors get between earnings on holiday demand, traffic and membership momentum — the engine that helps fund profits.
It also lands at an awkward moment for forecasts. The stock is still well below last year’s peak, and investors have been debating whether growth is cooling or just getting harder to measure as stores stay packed and new warehouses open.
Costco last reported quarterly results in December, when it beat Wall Street estimates on revenue and profit. Same-store sales — a gauge of sales at locations open at least a year — rose 6.4% excluding gasoline, and an Omnisend adviser said shoppers were “looking to stretch their dollar further.” Reuters
A bullish note from Mizuho has kept the $1,000 level in the conversation. Analyst David Bellinger upgraded Costco to outperform and raised his price target to $1,000, saying concerns “stem from … too much consumer demand,” MarketWatch reported — a view that frames crowded warehouses as a constraint, not a warning sign. MarketWatch
The tape has been choppy. Costco closed up 1.53% on Tuesday at $889.10 but lagged some big retail peers on the day, with Amazon jumping 3.38% while Walmart and Target also rose, MarketWatch data showed. Costco shares were about 17.5% below their 52-week high of $1,078.24 set on Feb. 13.
Investors will be reading the sales release for comparable sales and online growth, and for any hint that traffic is shifting between older stores and newer “fill-in” locations. On Costco’s last earnings call, management said it would report December sales for the five weeks ending Sunday, Jan. 4, after market close on Jan. 7. The Motley Fool
After that, the calendar gets busier. Costco’s proxy statement sets a virtual shareholder meeting for Jan. 15 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, and the company’s investor site lists its fiscal second-quarter earnings call for March 5 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific.
But the setup cuts both ways. A softer sales print, or signs that membership growth and renewals are cooling, could push investors back toward the bear case — that Costco’s premium valuation needs steady, clean growth to hold. Cost pressures, especially labor, remain a swing factor.
Costco’s investor calendar lists the December sales results for 1:15 p.m. Pacific (4:15 p.m. ET) on Wednesday, shortly after the U.S. market close.
