** Shares of Costco Wholesale COST.O edge 0.5% lower to $990.01 premarket

** Co reaps the spoils of surging gas prices as more consumers seek out its lower-priced fuel, helping it top market expectations for third-quarter U.S. sales

** Bernstein raises PT to $1,194 from $1,192; says will closely monitor membership growth as the U.S. market becomes more saturated

** Adds, "should we see any weakness in MFI (monthly frequency of transactions) growth in the near term, we expect it to be offset by other levers including retail media growth"

** Total quarterly revenue rises 12% to $70.53 billion, beating analysts' estimate of $69.81 billion.

** Q3 net sales rise on strong growth across all regions

** Average rating of 37 analysts is "buy", with a median PT of $1,100 - data compiled by LSEG

** As of last close, stock up ~15% YTD