Costco shares dip with results getting a mixed reception

** Shares in Costco Wholesale COST.O down 1.8% on Friday and among the biggest drags on Nasdaq after its quarterly report late on Thursday even though its results beat Wall Street expectations; some analysts noted that the stock already has premium valuation

** COST reported fiscal Q4 adj EPS of $5.87, ahead of consensus expectation of $5.80 and rev of $86.16 bln vs cons of $86.06 bln, according to LSEG

** The membership-only retail chain beat estimates as Americans hunting for bargains flocked to its stores to snap up lower-priced essentials

** Stock last traded around $926.16 vs median PT of $1,070, as per LSEG

** Analyst reactions were mixed as JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and Truist Securities cut their price targets for the stock after the report although Bernstein raised its PT for the stock.

** Citi, with neutral rating, $1,065 PT, cited management acknowledging that merchants need to "balance tariffs and supporting members," says theme to watch is how demand elasticity plays out as prices rise.

** While Citi sees COST remaining "a relative winner," the firm notes that comparisons will be tougher next few months and while it says it is justified "COST’s premium valuation leaves little room for error."

** DA Davidson analyst Michael Baker maintained neutral rating saying COST's premium valuation "already captures its premium offering," cites potential risks including threats to sales and margins from tariffs and risks to sales of potential decrease in employment trends