Costco Wholesale Corporation
COST · Price history
Price at last available close
$982.73
+$58.14 (+6.29%) 1M
2026-10-28
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Company & revenue
About Costco Wholesale Corporation
Primary reporting period: 2026-08-30 · Research updated Oct 4, 2026. A research update is not a new financial filing.
Who they are
Costco Wholesale Corporation, alongside its group entities, operates membership-based retail warehouses across a broad international scope, spanning the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. These outlets provide customers with an extensive array of both well-known branded and proprietary private-label products. Their vast inventory includes household staples, shelf-stable groceries, confectionery, chilled and frozen items, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and deli selections.
How they make money
Costco operates a chain of membership-based warehouses that offer a limited selection of nationally branded and private-label products at low prices. The company generates revenue primarily through merchandise sales and annual membership fees paid by its members.
Products & services
Costco sells a wide range of groceries, electronics, appliances, apparel, and home goods, while also providing services such as gasoline, pharmacy, optical, hearing aid, and travel services.
Brands & revenue mix
The company's primary private-label brand covering a wide range of product categories.
Separate brand revenue is not available in this research.Source
Revenue share is not unit sales or a best-seller ranking. Parent brands and included sub-brands can overlap; do not add overlapping rows.
Product / operating segments
No reconciled product or operating-segment revenue breakdown is available for the current research period. Company-wide revenue remains separate from segment disclosure.
Geographic revenue
No reconciled geographic revenue breakdown was confirmed for the current research period.
Customer concentration
The company does not disclose significant customer concentration as its business model relies on a broad base of individual and business members.
Suppliers, materials & equipment
- Various brand-name merchandise producers — The company maintains direct relationships with many producers of brand-name merchandise and does not rely on any single supplier for a significant portion of its inventory.Source
Competitors
- Walmart — A global retailer operating supermarkets, supercenters, and discount stores.Source
- Target — A general merchandise retailer operating stores and online platforms.Source
- Kroger — A supermarket chain and multi-department store operator.Source
- Amazon — A global online retailer and provider of cloud and digital services.Source
Sources
Wall Street Score
Overall investment score · Quality, value, risk and opportunity
46
Weak
View category scores →
Company Quality
How good is the actual business—regardless of today’s stock price?
86
Strong
Financial Strength
85
Business Quality / Moat
99
Management
100
Growth Quality
38
Risk / Durability
96
Uses financial strength, moat, management, growth quality and durability. It excludes share price, P/E, market cap, intrinsic value and margin of safety.
Opportunity
Opportunity Score · How does the current price compare with estimated value?
36
Avoid
Based on current valuation, company quality, recent trends, and available market signals.
View score details →
Model Outlook
12-month model · What does the model think happens next?
48/100
Building Historical Record
Model Score 48/100 — estimates relative performance potential, distinct from the overall Wall Street Score and the separate Company Quality score.
Probability unavailable — the model has not produced a calibrated probability yet.
Click for full breakdown →
WSS View
The quick read
The overall Wall Street Score is low across its combined quality, valuation and risk inputs. This can reflect an expensive share price, business weaknesses, or both; check Company Quality and the category breakdown before drawing a conclusion.
At today’s price, the WSS valuation framework currently reads as less attractive based on the available valuation and market data.
The model outlook is currently cautious.
- •Balance-sheet / debt profile scores strongly
- •Recent buyback activity is present
- •M&A headline · Oct 24, 2026
- •Valuation is a weaker part of the current profile
- •Revenue fundamentals are weak
- •Asset quality is a weaker factor
Company-specific research
Questions worth answering for COST
These questions are generated from this company's current financial and score data so the page adds context instead of treating the headline score as a stand-alone conclusion.
- •Can COST maintain its current revenue growth rate and improve the amount of that revenue that turns into earnings and cash?
- •Is COST's positive free cash flow repeatable, or is the current level being helped by temporary working-capital or spending changes?
- •How is COST likely to use its cash advantage: reinvestment, acquisitions, debt reduction, dividends or buybacks?
- •What future growth or profitability would be needed to justify COST's current valuation?
Essential Investment Snapshot
Wall Street Score
46
Opportunity Score
36
Market Cap
$435.48B
P/E Ratio
32.9
EPS
$27.63
52-Week High
$1096.50
52-Week Low
$844.06
Beta
0.85
Intrinsic Value
$663.47
Analyst Target
$1089.50
Shares Outstanding
444.4M
Total Revenue
$303.15B
Total Debt
$8.58B
Dividend Yield (TTM)
0.56%
Liquidation Value / Share
$80.56
Dividend / Share (TTM)
$5.54
Momentum & Volatility Signals
Two different market-behavior signals. Momentum measures direction and trend strength. Volatility measures how large and unstable the price moves are, regardless of direction.
Neutral / mixed momentum
Low movement
A high momentum score means price has been trending upward with confirming short- and medium-term strength. A low score means downward or weakening momentum.
A high volatility score means larger, less stable price swings. It can happen while a stock is rising or falling, so high volatility is not automatically bullish or bearish.
Important: the volatility score above is based on realized price volatility. Implied volatility (IV) comes from options prices and represents the market's expected future movement. Wall Street Score will keep IV separate and will only display it when a verified options-chain feed is available.
Notices for COST
Detected from reported data — verify before acting.Dividend history reported
Dividend payments are recorded. Review the dates and regular/special classification below; past payments do not guarantee future dividends.
Historical repurchase activity
Reported cash flows or share-count measures indicate past repurchase activity. This does not verify an active buyback authorization or future purchases.
M&A headline · Oct 24, 2026
Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Acquired by Howland Capital Management LLC — This is a provider-linked headline, not an independently confirmed event. Check the article and company filings for the subject, proposed/completed status, and subsequent updates.
Defense WorldCommunity Sentiment
0 active · 0 total callsNo personal call yet on COST.
Potential upside factors
- +Growth opportunities may come from revenue expansion, margin improvement, new products, market-share gains, and stronger cash flow.
- +High member renewal rates.
- +Strong membership-based business model.
- +Positive free cash flow may provide capacity to invest in growth.
Potential downside factors
- −Key risks may include competition, margin pressure, debt levels, valuation risk, and changes in demand within the Discount Stores industry.
- −Supply chain disruptions.
- −Intense competition in the retail sector.
These research factors come from saved company research and financial data, not community votes. They are starting points to verify against filings, not buy or sell recommendations.
Create a free account to make a call.
Scores
Click any score for full breakdownWas this stock page easy to understand?
One click helps us improve the research experience. This is not tied to an investment decision.
Score Changes
11 historical score records availablePrevious Score
46
Sep 26, 2026
Change
+0.1
points
Current Score
46
Oct 1, 2026
Category Changes
COST increased 0.1 points because Capital improved by 2 points.
Positive Contributors
- + Capital improved by 2 points
Projected Score
Projected Score
50
Projected Change
+4.1 points
Preliminary comparable-period financial changes suggest improvement of approximately 4.1 points. This is a projected estimate, not the official WallStreetScore.
Price vs. Value
OvervaluedCurrent Price
$982.73
Model Intrinsic Value
$663.47
Difference
+$319.26
+48.1% vs IV
Margin of Safety
-48.1%
Financial Charts
Revenue
Additional Metrics
Operating Cash Flow
Total Debt
Total Assets
Net Margin %
Free includes 3 annual periods plus available TTM; Premium includes up to 10 annual periods. History depends on available company filings. Swipe the table horizontally to see older periods. A dash means unavailable, not zero.
| Line Item | TTM | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $303.15B | $303.15B | $275.24B | $254.45B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Cost of Revenue | $264.28B | $264.28B | $239.89B | $222.36B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Gross Profit | $38.88B | $38.88B | $35.35B | $32.09B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Research & Development | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| SG&A Expenses | $27.19B | $27.19B | $24.97B | $22.81B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Operating Expenses | $27.19B | $27.19B | $24.97B | $22.81B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| EBITDA | $14.36B | $14.36B | $13.40B | $12.15B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Operating Income | $11.69B | $11.69B | $10.38B | $9.29B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Interest Expense | $145.0M | $145.0M | $154.0M | $169.0M | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Income Before Tax | $12.25B | $12.25B | $10.82B | $9.74B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Income Tax Expense | $3.02B | $3.02B | $2.72B | $2.37B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Net Income | $9.23B | $9.23B | $8.10B | $7.37B | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Basic EPS | $27.63 | $20.78 | $18.24 | $16.60 | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Basic Shares | 444M | 444M | 444M | 444M | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
| Diluted Shares | 444M | 444M | 445M | 445M | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· | ···· |
Earnings Summary
Revenue
$95.72B
Estimate unavailable.
Revenue Beat/Miss
Not available (no estimate stored)
EPS
$13.58
Estimate unavailable.
EPS Beat/Miss
Not available (no estimate stored)
Debt Change
-16.1%
Cash Change
+42.7%
Margin Change
+0.1 pp
Debt and cash show percentage changes versus the comparison period; margin shows the change in percentage points (pp). These are company-wide changes, not per-share amounts.
Financial Changes Since Prior Period
What Improved
- Margins expanded
- Cash position grew
- Debt reduced
Potential Score Impact
Positive indicators included revenue growth, EPS growth, cash levels, debt levels. These factors may support or pressure the Revenue, Management, Financial, and Debt categories; this summary does not claim that the stored scores changed.
Stored Earnings Analysis
Revenue increased 11.1%. EPS increased 131.3%. Cash increased 42.7%. Total debt declined 16.1%. Net income margin improved by 0.1 percentage points.
Earnings-Call Transcript
Earnings-call transcript analysis is not currently available.
These results may influence future scores when the next evaluation is completed.
Insider Activity
Guru / Smart Money
Guru Score
34
Smart Money
34
Number of Gurus
5
Total Guru Value
Avg Portfolio Weight
Largest Holder
Largest Holder %
New Positions
Increased Positions
Reduced Positions
Exited Positions
Net Guru Sentiment
Short Interest
Dividend History
Log in to view dividend history.
Conservative Projected Values
3 Years
$———.——
5 Years
$———.——
10 Years
$———.——
Conservative Projection Rate
——%
Conservative Projected Values — price projections derived from actual 10-year adjusted historical returns, conservatively adjusted and capped at 8% annually. These are distinct from the Outperformance Model Score and WallStreetScore.
Conservative Projected Values
Premium unlocks the 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year conservative projected values with full calculation breakdowns based on actual historical returns.
Start 7-Day Free TrialHistorical Outperformance Record
Premium includes stored forecasts and any available evaluated results. Completed results, win rates and calibrated probabilities are shown only when supported records exist; access does not create historical outcomes.
Start 7-Day Free TrialHistorical Trends
11 historical recordsHistorical Score Chart
3 of 11 records shownWall Street Score
Debt Score
Revenue Score
Asset Score
Capital Score
Management Score
Moat Score
Valuation Score
Buffett Score
Intrinsic Value
Value Reference
Margin of Safety %
Related Companies
Discount StoresNews
Costco Remains a Defensive Compounder Awaiting Its Next Leg Up
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If You Buy Costco With $5,000 at a 43% Discount From Its High, Here's What I Predict It Could Be Worth in 10 Years.
Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Stock Acquired by Howland Capital Management LLC
Rumor Mill · COST
Corporate developments & opportunities
No reviewed developments match this filter.
Evidence credibility is not a forecast of stock performance. Rumor Mill is separate from the WSS score.
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