This Is What Whales Are Betting On Costco Wholesale

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Costco Wholesale COST.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don’t know. But when something this big happens with COST, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga‘s options scanner spotted 87 uncommon options trades for Costco Wholesale.

This isn’t normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 45% bullish and 39%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 52 are puts, for a total amount of $3,020,621, and 35 are calls, for a total amount of $2,355,039.

Predicted Price Range

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $500.0 to $1500.0 for Costco Wholesale during the past quarter.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

In today’s trading context, the average open interest for options of Costco Wholesale stands at 291.65, with a total volume reaching 7,921.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Costco Wholesale, situated within the strike price corridor from $500.0 to $1500.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Costco Wholesale Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About Costco Wholesale

Costco operates a membership-based, no-frills retail model predicated on offering a select product assortment in bulk quantities at bargain prices. The firm avoids maintaining costly product displays by keeping inventory on pallets and limits distribution expenses by storing its inventory at point of sale in the warehouse. Given its frugal cost structure, the firm is able to price its merchandise below that of competing retailers, driving high sales volume per warehouse and generating strong profits on thin margins. Costco operates over 600 warehouses in the United States and has over 60% share in the domestic warehouse club industry. Internationally, Costco operates another 280 warehouses, primarily in Canada, Mexico, Japan, and the UK.

Present Market Standing of Costco Wholesale

• With a trading volume of 1,420,653, the price of COST is up by 2.12%, reaching $978.11.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 37 days from now.

What Analysts Are Saying About Costco Wholesale

A total of 4 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $1055.0.

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* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Telsey Advisory Group keeps a Outperform rating on Costco Wholesale with a target price of $1100.
* An analyst from Telsey Advisory Group has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Costco Wholesale, which currently sits at a price target of $1100.
* An analyst from Mizuho downgraded its action to Neutral with a price target of $975.
* An analyst from Loop Capital persists with their Buy rating on Costco Wholesale, maintaining a target price of $1045.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Costco Wholesale options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.