New York, Feb 12, 2026, 15:00 (EST) — Regular session
- Costco shares rise about 3% in afternoon trade, outpacing most big-box names
- U.S. CPI due Friday; Costco sets March 5 earnings call
- Investors are weighing rate-cut odds and the outlook for higher-income spending
Costco Wholesale Corp shares rose in afternoon trading on Thursday, pushing back above the $1,000 mark as investors hunted for steadier retail exposure in a session dominated by technology losses. The stock was up 2.9% at $1,006.71, after touching an intraday low near $978, with about 1.7 million shares traded.
The move matters because macro data is back in the driver’s seat. The next test is Friday’s U.S. Consumer Price Index report for January, a print that can quickly swing interest-rate expectations and, by extension, how investors value stocks that trade at premium multiples. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Costco also has a clear company clock in front of it. The warehouse club is scheduled to hold its fiscal second-quarter earnings call on March 5, which will land after the latest inflation readings and in the middle of a choppy tape for consumer names. (Costco Investor Relations)
In the broader retail complex, price action was mixed. Walmart rose 3.9% in the same session, while Target fell 1.6% and Amazon slid 2.4%, leaving Costco among the day’s stronger large-cap consumer stocks.
The backdrop was rougher than Costco’s own tape suggested. U.S. indexes were lower earlier on Thursday as a renewed selloff hit software and other tech shares, with investors pressing for evidence that heavy spending on artificial intelligence is paying off. “We see this as a ‘prove it’ year for AI,” Jack Herr, primary investment analyst at GuideStone Funds, said. (Reuters)
Rate expectations are part of the churn. After Wednesday’s jobs report, Oren Klachkin, a financial market economist at Nationwide, wrote that “an extended pause still seems likely,” a stance that can keep bond yields and equity valuations tied tightly to inflation surprises. (Reuters)
For Costco, the consumer split is the other piece investors keep circling. A Reuters report this week pointed to a “K-shaped” spending pattern — stronger demand from higher-income households, more strain at the lower end — a backdrop that can favor retailers that sell staples and lean on perceived value. (Reuters)
The company’s latest sales snapshot still sits in the background of the trade. Costco said earlier this month that January net sales rose 9.3% to $21.33 billion, while comparable sales — sales at stores open at least a year — increased 7.1%, with “digitally-enabled” comparable sales up 34.4%. (Costco Investor Relations)
A smaller near-term marker lands as soon as Friday. A regulatory filing in January showed Costco declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.30 per share, payable on Feb. 13 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 30. (SEC)
But the stock’s cushion is not endless. A TradingView summary of Zacks data pegged Costco’s forward price-to-earnings ratio — the share price divided by expected earnings — at 46.21, leaving it more sensitive if Friday’s CPI is hot or if March results disappoint on costs and margins. (TradingView)
Next up for traders is Friday’s CPI at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by Costco’s March 5 earnings call; the company has also set April 8 for its March sales release. (Costco Investor Relations)
