Understanding Recent Options Activity at Costco Wholesale

Recent trading activity in options for Costco Wholesale (COST) has attracted attention, especially from investors with significant funds looking to take a bearish position.

This unusual behavior has become apparent through the options data we gathered.

While we cannot definitively identify whether these trades are executed by institutional investors or wealthy individuals, the scale of this activity often indicates that insiders might be anticipating significant changes for Costco.

Today, our analysis revealed 27 uncommon options trades for Costco Wholesale. This level of activity is not typical.

The sentiment among these large-scale traders appears to be divided, with 33% of them bullish and 40% taking a bearish stance.

Among the trades, there were 5 put options with a total value of $445,755 and 22 call options amounting to $1,784,033.

Price Target Analysis

By examining the volume and open interest of these contracts, it is evident that major players are targeting a price range from $335.00 to $1480.00 for Costco Wholesale over the last quarter.

Reviewing Volume and Open Interest

Assessing volume and open interest is a helpful approach for investors to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data provides insight into the liquidity and interest surrounding Costco's options at various strike prices.

Below is a summary of the volume and open interest in both calls and puts over the past 30 days for Costco Wholesale.

30-Day Options Volume and Interest Overview

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
COST	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	01/16/26	$145.45	$141.8	$144.6	$960.00	$723.0K	519	52
COST	PUT	TRADE	BEARISH	01/16/26	$483.3	$477.1	$481.54	$1480.00	$240.7K	0	10
COST	CALL	SWEEP	NEUTRAL	01/16/26	$40.45	$39.7	$39.7	$1240.00	$158.8K	110	42
COST	CALL	TRADE	NEUTRAL	12/20/24	$100.15	$96.15	$98.5	$900.00	$128.0K	1.3K	15
COST	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	12/13/24	$0.93	$0.9	$0.93	$1085.00	$92.9K	1.0K	1.0K

About Costco Wholesale

Costco operates a unique retail model that requires a membership and focuses on providing a limited selection of products in bulk at lower prices. They reduce costs by keeping items on pallets and minimizing extravagant displays, which results in lower prices for consumers.

Currently, Costco has over 600 warehouses in the U.S. and maintains more than 60% of the market share in the warehouse club industry. Internationally, they have around 270 warehouses in countries like Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the UK.

Current Performance of Costco Wholesale

• The stock price of COST is currently at $996.75, with a trading volume of 301,151, reflecting a minor increase of 0.21%.
• Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicators suggest that the stock may be overvalued.
• Next earnings report is anticipated shortly.

Analyst Insights on Costco Wholesale

Recently, five industry analysts have shared their perspectives on Costco, providing an average target price of around $1044.00.

Recent Analyst Projections:

• An analyst from Stifel upholds a Buy rating with a target price of $1000.
• Telsey Advisory Group also maintains an Outperform rating with a target of $1050.
• BMO Capital keeps an Outperform rating with a target price of $1075.
• Wells Fargo has an Equal-Weight rating with a target of $950.
• Jefferies maintains a Buy rating with a lofty target of $1145.

Engaging in options trading comes with its risks and rewards. Savvy traders take steps to manage these risks through continuous education, strategic adaptation, and monitoring of market signals. Staying updated on Costco Wholesale's latest options trades can enhance your trading strategy.

Costco, Options, Trading