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StockVS

NASDAQ · Discount Stores · USD

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Stock Analysis

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is a Discount Stores stock listed on NASDAQ and quoted in US Dollar.

Last Updated: October 21, 2026

COST

$998.31

+$3.70 (+0.37%)

Oct 21, 2026 · Market close

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Price History

Hover for the daily close. The dotted line marks the period open.

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COST Key Statistics

As of Oct 21, 2026
Trading
Open
$991.00
Previous Close
$994.61
Day's Range
988.47–1,000.25
52-Week Range
844.06–1,096.50
Volume
1.50M
BetaHow much the share price moves relative to the wider market. 1.0 moves in line with it; above 1.0 swings more, below 1.0 less.
0.87
Valuation
Market Cap
$442.38B
P/E Ratio
48.09
Forward P/EShare price divided by forecast earnings for the year ahead, rather than the year just past.
39.89
PEG RatioThe P/E ratio divided by the expected earnings growth rate. It puts a high P/E in the context of how fast profits are growing.
4.98
P/S ratioMarket value divided by annual revenue. Useful for companies that are not yet profitable, where a P/E cannot be calculated.
1.46
EPS (ttm)Profit attributable to each share over the last twelve months.
20.76
Financials (FY)
Revenue (FY)
$275.24B+8.17%
Net Income (FY)
$8.10B+9.94%
Profit marginThe share of revenue left as profit after all costs and taxes.
3.04%
Shares OutstandingThe total number of shares held by all investors. Market value is this figure multiplied by the share price.
443.13M
1-Year Return
+7.11%
Dividend and dates
Dividend
$5.88+0.59%
Ex-Dividend Date
October 30, 2026
Earnings Date
December 10, 2026
Avg Volume
2.06M

Only metrics the company reports are shown. Data provided by Yahoo Finance via yfinance. Updated daily.

Key facts

As of October 21, 2026, COST closed at $998.31, +7.11% over 1 year.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) has a market capitalization of $442.38B.

In fiscal 2025, COST reported revenue of $275.24B.

COST Stock Return by Calendar Year

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) 10-year return: what $10,000 became

1 year
$10,000 $10,711
+7.11%
5 years
$10,000 $22,074
+120.74%
10 years
$10,000 $79,329
+693.29%

If you had invested $10,000 in Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) 10 years ago, at the close on October 21, 2016, it would have been worth $79,329 at the close on October 21, 2026: +693.29% in total, +23.01% a year, with dividends reinvested. A historical calculation from closing prices adjusted for splits and dividends, before fees and taxes.

Calendar-year returns computed from daily closing prices. Partial years are shown muted and marked with an asterisk.

YearReturn
2026 (partial year)+16.28%
2025−5.39%
2024+39.62%
2023+49.00%
2022−19.05%
2021+51.82%
2020+32.67%
2019+45.70%
2018+10.60%
2017+22.37%
2016 (partial year)−3.80%

As of October 21, 2026.

COST Revenue and Earnings by Fiscal Year

FY ends August
Fiscal yearRevenueNet incomeNet margin
2025$275.24B$8.10B2.9%
2024$254.45B$7.37B2.9%
2023$242.29B$6.29B2.6%
2022$226.95B$5.84B2.6%
Fiscal yearRevenueGross profitOperating incomeNet incomeNet margin
2025$275.24B$35.35B$10.38B$8.10B2.9%
2024$254.45B$32.10B$9.29B$7.37B2.9%
2023$242.29B$29.70B$8.11B$6.29B2.6%
2022$226.95B$27.57B$7.79B$5.84B2.6%

Annual figures as reported, in the company's reporting currency. As of August 31, 2025.

COST Dividend History

$5.06+12.4% vs 2024

Dividends per share, 2025 · 4 payments

YearDividends per sharePaymentsChange
2026*$4.243—
2025$5.064+12.4%
2024$4.504−76.3%
2023$18.965+443.3%
YearDividends per sharePaymentsChange
2026 (partial year)$4.243—
2025$5.064+12.4%
2024$4.504−76.3%
2023$18.965+443.3%
2022$3.494+13.7%
2021$3.074−75.9%
2020$12.755+406.0%
2019$2.524+14.0%
2018$2.214−75.3%
2017$8.955+1,888.9%
2016$0.451—

Most recent payment: $1.41 per share, ex-dividend July 24, 2026. Per-share amounts summed by calendar year from ex-dividend dates. Partial years are shown muted and marked with an asterisk.

COST Valuation vs Discount Stores Median

Median of 10 stocks
MetricCOSTDiscount Stores medianvs median
P/E48.0922.62113% above
P/S ratio1.461.0539% above
Profit margin3.04%3.47%0.4 pts below

Medians across 10 Discount Stores stocks that report the metric. Medians, not averages, so one outlier cannot move them. As of October 21, 2026.

Recent News

All 20 articles ↓

News provided by third-party sources. Not financial advice.

Analysis

Data-derived

Company Overview

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is capitalised at $442.38B on the latest close. It is classified in the Discount Stores industry, within the Consumer Defensive sector. Headcount on file is 355,000.

The most recent close on file for COST is $998.31, dated October 21, 2026. That is +$3.70 (+0.37%) against the previous close. The 52-week range on file runs from $844.06 to $1,096.50. The latest close sits 18.27% above that 52-week low.

Financial Health

In fiscal 2025, Costco Wholesale Corporation reported revenue of $275.24B. That is +8.17% against the prior fiscal year, when revenue was $254.45B. The same year closed with net income of $8.10B. That is +9.94% against the prior fiscal year. The reported profit margin is 3.04%. That is 0.4 percentage points below the Discount Stores median of 3.47%. Trailing earnings per share are 20.76.

Across the 4 fiscal years on file, revenue moves from $226.95B in 2022 to $275.24B in 2025. Of those 4 years, 4 report positive net income.

Valuation Assessment

The trailing P/E ratio stands at 48.09. That is 112.6% above the Discount Stores median of 22.62. On forward earnings the ratio is 39.89. The PEG ratio, which sets the P/E against expected earnings growth, reads 4.98. Measured against sales, the shares trade at 1.46 times revenue. On price-to-sales that is 38.76% above the Discount Stores median of 1.05. The medians here are taken across 10 Discount Stores companies that report the metric.

Over the trailing twelve months the total return is +7.11%. Across 10 years the annualized return works out at +23.01%. The reported beta is 0.87. Daily returns over the trailing 10 years annualize to a volatility of 22.07%.

Growth & Income

The trailing dividend yield is 0.59%. That is 0.2 percentage points below the Discount Stores median yield of 0.83%. At the indicated rate that is $5.88 a share a year. The ex-dividend date on file is October 30, 2026. Dividends are recorded for 11 calendar years; 2026 shows 3 payments totalling $4.24 a share. The year before, 2025, totalled $5.06 a share.

Across the complete calendar years on file, 2021 returned +51.82% and 2022 returned −19.05%. Of the 9 complete calendar years on file, 7 finished higher. 2026 is still running; the total return is +16.28% year to date.

Peer Comparison

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) operates in the Discount Stores industry. Here is how it compares to its closest peers by market capitalization:

Company Ticker Market Cap P/E Ratio
Costco Wholesale Corporation COST $442.38B 48.1
Walmart Inc. WMT $937.46B 43.0
Target Corporation TGT $69.23B 15.8
Dollarama Inc. DOL.TO CA$54.91B 41.1

Market caps are shown in each company's own trading currency, without conversion, and the peers are listed in order of these unconverted figures.

The Discount Stores industry average P/E ratio is 22.6x. Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at a P/E of 48.1.

Every figure above is read from this page's own data on each daily rebuild. Informational only, not financial advice. As of October 21, 2026.

Related Discount Stores Stocks

WMT

Walmart Inc.

$937.46B

 TGT

Target Corporation

$69.23B

 DOL.TO

Dollarama Inc.

CA$54.91B

 DG

Dollar General Corporation

$29.15B

 DLTR

Dollar Tree, Inc.

$23.54B

 BJ

BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.

$13.06B
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About Costco Wholesale Corporation

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Sweden, Iceland, and New Zealand. It offers merchandise, including sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, liquor, and tobacco; non-food merchandise comprising consumer electronics, appliances, small electrics, health and beauty aids, hardware, lawn and garden, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal, automotive, stamps, tickets, apparel, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and fresh food, such as meat, produce, deli, and bakery products. The company is also involved in warehouse ancillary operations, which include gasoline, pharmacies, food courts, optical, hearing aids, and tire installation centers. In addition, it engages in e-commerce, business centers, travel, and other businesses. Further, the company operates e-commerce sites; and offers branded and private-label products in various categories. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.

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