Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Stock Price & Analysis
Market: NASDAQ • Sector: Consumer Defensive • Industry: Discount Stores
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Profile & Business Summary
Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories. The company offers sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, liquor, and tobacco and deli products; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, garden and patio products, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal products, office supplies, automotive care products, postages, tickets, apparel, small appliances, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and meat, produce, service deli, and bakery products. It also operates pharmacies, opticals, food courts, hearing-aid centers, and tire installation centers, as well as 636 gas stations; and offers business delivery, travel, same-day grocery, and various other services online in various countries. As of August 29, 2021, the company operated 815 membership warehouses, including 564 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 105 in Canada, 39 in Mexico, 30 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 16 in South Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 12 in Australia, 3 in Spain, 1 in Iceland, 1 in France, and 1 in China. It also operates e-commerce websites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
Key Information
| Ticker | COST |
|---|---|
| Exchange | NASDAQ |
| Official Site | https://www.costco.com |
Market Trend Overview for COST
One model, two time views: what the market looks like right now, and where the larger trend is heading over time.
SRE (WhaleQuant Structural Regime Engine) SRE evaluates how price structure evolves across daily and weekly timeframes to define the prevailing market regime. Beyond identifying trends, consolidations, and exhaustion phases, it distinguishes between raw structural strength and deployable participation quality. The model dynamically adjusts for structural context and extension risk, assessing whether conditions are supportive, stretched, fragile, or structurally impaired. Its purpose is not to forecast precise price levels, but to determine whether risk deployment is aligned with underlying market structure.
Longer-Term Market Trend (Mid to Long Term)
Shows the bigger market trend, how strong it is, and where risks may start to build over the next few weeks or months. — Updated as of 2026-03-25 (ET)
As of 2026-03-25, COST is showing signs of slowing down. Over the longer term, the trend remains bearish.
COST last closed at 974.86. The price is about 0.5 ATR below its recent average price (982.36), and the market is currently in a trend that may be losing strength. Price at 974.86 is near minor support around 960.46. Momentum may slow, while light resistance sits near 989.64. View Support & Resistance from Options
Short-term strength is developing against a weaker long-term trend, which increases the risk of downside reversals.
Trend score: 45 out of 100. Overall alignment is unclear. The market is currently in a late-stage trend that may be losing strength. The longer-term trend is still negative, but short-term signals are not yet confirming it.
A key downside level is near 939.24. If price falls below this area, the current upward trend would likely weaken or break.
On 2026-03-25, trend conditions deteriorated, suggesting that moves in the prior direction became less dependable.
[2026-03-17] Price moved quickly and looked strong, but participation was limited.
Recent bars show mixed price behavior without a clear shift in structural quality or efficiency.
There was no clear sign of meaningful positions being carried into the overnight session.
NOTE: This next-day up/down probability forecast module is still being tested for accuracy. Please do not rely on it for investment decisions. The model does not account for black swan events or company-specific fundamental news, and its estimates are based solely on technical conditions, capital flow, and market sentiment. View forecast history
This reading is based on the last 20 trading days of 15-minute price, volume, and VWAP data. Price is modestly below the recent estimated cost basis of 990.54, so the recent structure is still leaning somewhat under pressure. Price is in the lower half of the main cost band (967.91 to 989.46), so price support and pullback behavior matter more than immediate upside follow-through. The higher up selling area sits around 981.63 to 982.41, so rebounds may begin to slow as price pushes into that zone. About 84% of recent positioning remains under water, which usually makes rallies harder to sustain. From a trading point of view, the main question is whether rebounds remain healthy enough to reach and absorb the higher overhead supply zone.
Short Interest & Covering Risk for COST
This analysis looks at overall short interest positioning, focusing on the broader setup rather than short-term noise.
Shows how likely a short squeeze may be under current market conditions.
Short Exposure Percentile
Short interest is relatively low, indicating limited pressure from short positions. (Historical percentile: 1%)
Structure Analysis
COST Short positioning is starting to look crowded. Current days to cover is 3.5 trading days, meaning short positions would unwind somewhat slower than average. Short covering could add extra momentum to price moves. No meaningful structural fragility is currently detected (Fragility Score 18/100, DTC percentile 91%) and liquidity contracting meaningfully (volume -35%). Positioning is historically elevated, although price and liquidity conditions do not yet confirm structural fragility.
Risk Summary
No clear bull trap characteristics detected. Recent price behavior remains broadly consistent with current positioning.This reading helps confirm that current price action remains structurally healthy and does not indicate elevated trap risk.
Why Price Reactions May Be Stronger?
Days-to-Cover is elevated versus its own history, but absolute short interest remains moderate. Average trading volume is weakening, indicating contracting liquidity. Adaptive thresholds applied to liquidity weakness, near-high detection, and compression sensitivity. As a result, similar news or market events could lead to price moves about 2× larger than usual.
Note:
Short interest data is reported every two weeks by
FINRA.
The most recent snapshot is
2026-02-27 (ET).
Because this data updates slowly, it is not intended to predict short-term price moves. Instead, it helps describe longer-term market structure and where pressure may be building if prices begin to move.