Thus far in 2026, Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) stock has been battling the $1,000 price level. It still has to make it through the rest of November and December, but as of the Oct. 30 closing price, Costco is trading above $1,000.
While there’s nothing that says a stock split must occur at that price, it’s a key psychological level for investors. At $1,000 or higher, shareholders may worry that retail investors will be priced out, stalling the share price from moving higher. Ironically, however, hitting that price in the first place highlights Costco’s business strength.
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Costco doesn’t take stock splits lightly
The retail wholesaler’s history of stock splits, along with a lack of management commentary on the issue, suggests one isn’t imminent. The last time Costco split its stock was in 2000, and the lack of recent stock splits suggests the management team doesn’t take them lightly.
Additionally, as fractional investing becomes more common in online brokerage accounts, management may feel there’s less need to conduct a split, which is ultimately an additional expense for the company due to the legal fees and paperwork involved. Investors are no longer forced to buy only whole shares, so whether someone wants to buy $1,000 worth of Costco stock or $10 worth, they can already execute that trade, even without a split.
That said, there’s another reason Costco’s management team may not feel the need to split the stock; in the court of investor perception, a high stock price simply feels like a winner.
At the start of the 2026 trading year, Costco stock opened at $861.14. As of this writing on Nov. 1, the stock price has climbed 17.3% year-to-date, outperforming the S&P 500‘s 10.7% return. That shows that even at a perceived higher price, there’s still demand for Costco shares, and investors are willing to pay more now to own some than at the start of the year.
That’s recognition of a few things, ranging from Costco serving not only as a defensive play as a recession-resistant stock, but also having sales growth opportunities through store expansion and an increased online sales presence. And those factors, rather than whether Costco will split its stock in 2027, make it worthy of investment consideration.
