# Costco Wholesale share price today (Costco Wholesale Corporation, COST)

> Costco Wholesale Corporation's earnings have grown faster than its share price. Earnings per share grew +14.0% in a year while the price moved +11.8%. COST · Consumer Staples · Discount Stores · data as of 3 November 2026. Page: https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/cost

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## Key numbers

- Business trend: Growing steadily, from the last 12 quarters
- Price: $1,019 (+11.8% in a year)
- P/E: 49.1× (higher than 55% of the last 4.5 years)
- Revenue (Aug 2026): $95.7 B (+11.1% on a year ago)
- Profit (Aug 2026): $3.0 B (+14.9% on a year ago)
- Operating margin: 3.8% (−0.1 points on a year ago)
- ROE: 26%, FY26
- ROIC: 37.3%, against a 8.9% cost of capital: +28.4 points

Biggest thing to watch: margins are the best this company has ever reported. Every ratio looks better at a record, so the story depends on margins staying high. ## What is the Costco Wholesale share price today? Costco Wholesale Corporation's share price was $1,019 at the close on 3 November 2026. It has been rising for 4 weeks. That is 4.9% above its average price over the last 200 trading days. In the last 52 weeks it traded between $855 and $1,049, and at that close it sat 85% of the way up from that low. Over the past 13 weeks it has done better than the S&P 500, and it has stayed ahead for 5 weeks in a row. Over the last 10 years the share price moved +516% while the S&P 500 moved +255%, so it is ahead of the index over that whole period. The chart above shows the 13-week comparison for every week. This page treats a rise as over when the price closes below its 200-day average on two Fridays in a row. ## What dividend does Costco Wholesale pay? Costco Wholesale Corporation paid $5.54 per share over the last four reported quarters. The most recent declaration was $1.47 for Aug 2026. At today's price of $1,019 that is a yield of 0.54%, based on dividends already paid, not a forecast. ## Which stock lists is Costco Wholesale on? Costco Wholesale is on 2 of our US lists: Nasdaq 100 companies and S&P 500 companies. - [Nasdaq 100 companies](https://www.sectoralpha.in/nasdaq-100-stocks)
- [S&P 500 companies](https://www.sectoralpha.in/sp-500-stocks)

## Is Costco Wholesale profitable? Costco Wholesale Corporation earned $3.0 B of net profit in the Aug 2026 quarter, +14.9% on the same quarter a year earlier. That is the 12th quarter in a row of profit growth. Full-year FY26 profit was $9.2 B. Over 5 years profit has grown 13.0% a year on average. That is 3.1% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned $2.6 B. For the full year, FY26 profit was $9.2 B (+13.9% on the year before). Why profit moved: revenue changed +11.1% on a year earlier and the margin moved −0.1 percentage points. Sales did the work, and the margin was about flat. On average over the last four quarters, profit changed +13.8% and revenue +10.1%. Profit is growing faster than sales: fixed costs are spread over more sales, so each extra dollar of revenue adds more to profit. ## How much revenue does Costco Wholesale make, and is it growing? Costco Wholesale Corporation reported $95.7 B of revenue in the Aug 2026 quarter, +11.1% on the same quarter a year earlier. That is the 12th quarter in a row with growth on the year before. Over 5 years it has grown 9.1% a year on average. The last full year, FY26, came in at $303 B. The last four reported quarters add to $303 B. FY26 revenue was $303 B, +10.1% on the year before. Recent pace: the last four quarters grew +10.1% on average, against 9.1% a year over the longer run, so this year is growing at about the same pace as its own long-run rate. Is growth speeding up? Revenue over the last 12 months grew +10.1%, against +9.2% a year over the last 8 quarters (stabilising); profit over the last 12 months grew +13.9%, against +11.9% a year (stabilising). ## How much of every $100 of sales does Costco Wholesale keep? Costco Wholesale Corporation's operating margin was 3.8% in the Aug 2026 quarter, 0.1 percentage points lower than the same quarter a year ago. Its latest full-year margin is the highest it has ever reported. Across 6 years it has been between 3.5% and 3.8%. The latest quarter is within that range. Why the margin moved: operating margin changed −0.1 percentage points on the year while gross margin changed −0.3 points. So the drop came mostly from the gross margin, which means input costs and prices charged. When margins are at a record, every ratio built on profit looks better than usual, so watch whether they hold. ## Is Costco Wholesale's profit turning into cash? Over the last 3 years, 164% of Costco Wholesale Corporation's reported profit came in as cash from its operations, so the profit is backed by cash. In FY26 it brought in $15.8 B of operating cash against $9.2 B of profit. After $6.4 B of spending on assets, $9.4 B was left over as free cash. Cash-flow figures here are yearly, because quarterly cash statements are not published, so this section changes once a year. Why: the cash figure is clear, but the day counts behind it are not in our data, so we show it without guessing the reason. What to look at next: the main use of cash is spending on assets. The next section checks what that spending is building. ## Where does Costco Wholesale's cash go? Costco Wholesale Corporation does not report the customer, stock and supplier day counts a cash cycle needs, so this section looks at its spending on assets instead. It spent $16.6 B on assets over the last 3 years. Averaged over those years that is 1.8% of FY26 revenue a year. Nothing is estimated in place of the missing day counts, so no cash-cycle chart is drawn. Spending on assets: $16.6 B over the last 3 years. In short: the cash is going into new capacity, not getting stuck in the daily cycle. The question is whether the new capacity earns. ## What is Costco Wholesale's P/E ratio, and how does it compare with its own history? Costco Wholesale Corporation's P/E is 49.1×, in the middle of its own history: higher than 55% of past readings. Its usual P/E (the middle reading) is 47.9×, over 4.5 years of weekly prices. This compares the share price with the company’s own past. It does not say what the business is worth. Why the multiple is where it is: over the past year earnings per share moved +14.0% while the price moved +11.8%. Earnings did better than the price, which pulled the multiple down within its own range. Where the price move came from: over 3 years the price moved +22.0% a year; about +13.6% a year came from earnings growth and about +8.4 percentage points from the multiple (the market paying more). The split is approximate (price return minus earnings growth). It shows how much of the move came from the market paying a different multiple. In short: the multiple is about average against its own past, so the earnings trend underneath matters more than the multiple. ## Is the Costco Wholesale business getting better or worse? Costco Wholesale Corporation's business is growing steadily. Revenue, profit and EPS growth have stayed positive throughout, and ROCE is steady at 27.1%. This is based on 12 quarters of 4 measures. Why it matters: steady growth with healthy returns is how a business compounds over time. ## How much does Costco Wholesale earn on its capital? Costco Wholesale Corporation earned a ROE of 26% in FY26. Its return on capital used (ROIC) is 28.4 percentage points above its cost of capital, so growth here adds value, not just size. It comes from a 3.0% net margin and 3.40× asset turnover (sales divided by assets). Why the return is what it is (FY26): a 3.0% net margin × 3.40× asset turnover × 2.49× leverage (assets divided by equity) ≈ 25.4% on equity. The margin does its share; borrowing is a big part of it. The key test, return on capital used minus the cost of capital: 37.3% − 8.9% = +28.4 percentage points. The 8.9% is an estimate of this company's own cost of capital. Read the sign and size of the gap, not the decimals. A gap this wide means each dollar put back into the business creates more than a dollar of value. The 37.3% ROIC above is the latest reading, as reported. The yearly chart below shows FY26 at 35.7%, and the quarterly chart works out each 12-month window from the quarterly figures, so the readings differ by date, not by method. ## Does Costco Wholesale have too much debt? Costco Wholesale Corporation has total debt of $10.2 B against shareholder equity of $35.8 B as of Aug 2026, so its debt is 0.28× its equity, which is very little. Year by year, that ratio went from 0.63 in FY21 to 0.28 in FY26. So the returns on this page come from the business, not from borrowed money. ## What is the Costco Wholesale shareholding pattern? 1.7% of Costco Wholesale Corporation's tradable shares are in short positions, which are bets that the price will fall, so very few traders are betting against this stock. At normal trading volumes, closing those positions would take about 3.2 days. US companies do not publish a quarter-by-quarter list of owners, so this page uses short interest instead. It is a single reading at one point in time; we do not have its history. Why it is at this level: the figure does not say who holds the short positions or why, so we show the level without guessing the story. ## How far is Costco Wholesale from balance-sheet trouble? For Costco Wholesale Corporation, the Z-score is 9.09. A Z-score above about 3 is safe and below about 1.8 signals danger, so this is well clear of danger. It estimates how far the balance sheet is from trouble; it is not a forecast of failure. Why it matters: a Z-score of 9.09 is well clear of the danger zone, so the balance sheet is not the risk here. ## How does Costco Wholesale rank in its industry? 49.1 out of 100, rank 6 of 8 in Discount Stores, with 85% of the evidence available. Costco Wholesale Corporation scores 49.1 out of 100 against the 8 companies it is compared with in Discount Stores, ranking 6. A strong business with a high valuation: it would need rising earnings, or a lower multiple, to score better on value. The four parts add up to the total exactly: 17.2 + 17.7 + 4.1 + 10.1 = 49.1. This is the same number shown on the industry page; it is worked out once for the whole group and read here. What would change it: The score would fall if profit growth turns negative or margins stop improving while the share price lags its sector. ## Which companies is Costco Wholesale compared with? Costco Wholesale ranks 6 of 8 Discount Stores companies on the 4-Factor Sector Score, with 49.1 out of 100. 1. [Dollar Tree, Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/dltr) DLTR · turning · Evidence leans up · 77% evidence 59.4 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 21.1/35 · Revenue 8.2% · Profit n/a · Operating margin change 1.3 points · 71% evidence Capital efficiency 13.9/25 · ROCE 16.9% · Operating margin 6.2% · 76% evidence Valuation 13.8/20 · P/E 15.2× · PEG 1.07 · 65% evidence Relative strength 10.6/20 · Lead over its industry -1.1% · Lead over S&P 500 8% · 1 year 26.8% · 100% evidence · 3 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 21.1 + 13.9 + 13.8 + 10.6 = 59.4 · What this means: The evidence is balanced: no factor stands out, so another reported quarter is needed before the picture is clearer. 2. [Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/olli) OLLI · breaking out · Evidence leans up · 85% evidence 55.6 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 23.4/35 · Revenue 14.4% · Profit 27.6% · Operating margin change -0.5 points · 95% evidence Capital efficiency 11.1/25 · ROCE 12% · Operating margin 10.8% · 76% evidence Valuation 15.1/20 · P/E 16.2× · PEG 0.54 · 65% evidence Relative strength 6.0/20 · Lead over its industry -17.2% · Lead over S&P 500 -9.6% · 1 year -27.9% · 100% evidence · 7 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 23.4 + 11.1 + 15.1 + 6 = 55.6 · What this means: Earnings are strong; relative strength in its sector is -17.2% and the one-year return is -27.9%. 3. [Target Corporation](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/tgt) TGT · leader · Evidence leans up · 85% evidence 55.2 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 16.3/35 · Revenue 1.9% · Profit 11.8% · Operating margin change 0.6 points · 95% evidence Capital efficiency 11.1/25 · ROCE 13.5% · Operating margin 6% · 76% evidence Valuation 13.2/20 · P/E 14.9× · PEG 1.23 · 65% evidence Relative strength 14.6/20 · Lead over its industry 5.7% · Lead over S&P 500 15.7% · 1 year 69.2% · 100% evidence · 12 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 16.3 + 11.1 + 13.2 + 14.6 = 55.2 · What this means: Relative strength against the index is 15.7%, and revenue and profit growth are weak. 4. [Dollar General Corporation](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/dg) DG · breaking out · Evidence leans up · 85% evidence 54.7 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 25.9/35 · Revenue 4.8% · Profit 43% · Operating margin change 1.3 points · 95% evidence Capital efficiency 8.8/25 · ROCE 10% · Operating margin 6.8% · 76% evidence Valuation 15.2/20 · P/E 16.5× · PEG 0.39 · 65% evidence Relative strength 4.8/20 · Lead over its industry -9.9% · Lead over S&P 500 -1.8% · 1 year 31.5% · 100% evidence · 7 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 25.9 + 8.8 + 15.2 + 4.8 = 54.7 · What this means: Earnings are strong; relative strength in its sector is -9.9% and the one-year return is 31.5%. 5. [BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/bj) BJ · breaking out · Evidence leans up · 85% evidence 53.1 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 13.2/35 · Revenue 9.1% · Profit 2.6% · Operating margin change 0.1 points · 95% evidence Capital efficiency 15.6/25 · ROCE 17.1% · Operating margin 4.1% · 76% evidence Valuation 7.5/20 · P/E 21× · PEG 2.26 · 65% evidence Relative strength 16.8/20 · Lead over its industry 0.8% · Lead over S&P 500 10.1% · 1 year 19.7% · 100% evidence · 7 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 13.2 + 15.6 + 7.5 + 16.8 = 53.1 · What this means: Relative strength against the index is 10.1%, and revenue and profit growth are weak. 6. Costco Wholesale Corporation this page COST · breaking out · Evidence leans down · 85% evidence 49.1 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 17.2/35 · Revenue 10.1% · Profit 13.9% · Operating margin change -0.1 points · 95% evidence Capital efficiency 17.7/25 · ROCE 25.5% · Operating margin 3.8% · 76% evidence Valuation 4.1/20 · P/E 45.4× · PEG 3.25 · 65% evidence Relative strength 10.1/20 · Lead over its industry -7.5% · Lead over S&P 500 1.2% · 1 year 10.5% · 100% evidence · 2 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 17.2 + 17.7 + 4.1 + 10.1 = 49.1 · What this means: A strong business with a high valuation: it would need rising earnings, or a lower multiple, to score better on value. 7. [Walmart Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/wmt) WMT · turning · Most evidence points down · 85% evidence 34.9 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 6.6/35 · Revenue 6.2% · Profit 3.4% · Operating margin change -0.8 points · 95% evidence Capital efficiency 11.2/25 · ROCE 16.5% · Operating margin 3.5% · 76% evidence Valuation 7.5/20 · P/E 40.1× · PEG 2.12 · 65% evidence Relative strength 9.6/20 · Lead over its industry -7.6% · Lead over S&P 500 1% · 1 year 21.7% · 100% evidence · 3 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 6.6 + 11.2 + 7.5 + 9.6 = 34.9 · What this means: The evidence is balanced: no factor stands out, so another reported quarter is needed before the picture is clearer. 8. [PriceSmart, Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/psmt) PSMT · quiet · Most evidence points down · 81% evidence 34.7 out of 100 Growth Capital Valuation Relative How the score adds up Growth & earnings 16.4/35 · Revenue 10.2% · Profit 11.3% · Operating margin change 0.2 points · 83% evidence Capital efficiency 12.3/25 · ROCE 15.5% · Operating margin 4.5% · 76% evidence Valuation 4.4/20 · P/E 32.6× · PEG 3.29 · 65% evidence Relative strength 1.6/20 · Lead over its industry -11.9% · Lead over S&P 500 -3.5% · 1 year 37.6% · 100% evidence · 0 of 12 weeks ahead Exact sum: 16.4 + 12.3 + 4.4 + 1.6 = 34.7 · What this means: The evidence is balanced: no factor stands out, so another reported quarter is needed before the picture is clearer. Missing figures are not scored as bad. They lower the confidence and pull the final score toward the middle. Relative strength counts only when the company has a reading for this week; with no reading, that factor is left out and its 20 points are shared across the other three in proportion. PEG is not shown when the ratio cannot mean anything: the company must be making a profit, its price-to-earnings must be positive, and its three-year earnings growth must fall between 5% and 60%. Dividing a price multiple by a loss, or by growth measured off a tiny base, produces a number that looks precise and tells you nothing. Under relative strength, one mark per week shows the last 12 weeks: a mark is filled where the company led S&P 500 by 5% or more over the 13 weeks ending that week, which is the same test used everywhere on this site. Price stage places the company on the same six-step path the industry is placed on (basing, turning, breaking out, leader, fading, asleep), read from how many weeks running it has led S&P 500 and whether that lead is growing or shrinking. It describes where the share price stands, not the direction of earnings, and it is not a recommendation; it is left blank for a company whose weekly history is too short or too stale to read. The figures in this ranking come from the industry comparison: results through the Sep 2026 quarter, and the P/E at that quarter's end. The sections above use the latest weekly price, so a P/E or return there can differ a little from the one here. The stage words in this ranking (such as losing its lead or breaking out) describe the lead over the index, not the price phase in the price section. Related companies: [Discount Stores](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/sectors/discount-stores), all 8 compared on one page. ## Which companies are close to Costco Wholesale in size? Costco Wholesale is the 2nd largest of 9 Discount Stores companies on Sector Alpha by market value (scores of 3 November 2026). Just above it: Walmart Inc. Just below it: Target Corporation, Dollar General Corporation, Dollar Tree, Inc., BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. and BBB Foods Inc. ### Discount Stores companies close in size

1. [Walmart Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/wmt) $990.6 billion
2. Costco Wholesale Corporation $451.7 billion
3. [Target Corporation](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/tgt) $70.1 billion
4. [Dollar General Corporation](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/dg) $28.8 billion
5. [Dollar Tree, Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/dltr) $25.2 billion
6. [BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/bj) $13.8 billion
7. [BBB Foods Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/tbbb) $7.6 billion

[All 9 Discount Stores companies, largest first](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/sectors/discount-stores#all-companies)

### Companies close in size in other industries

1. [Mastercard Incorporated](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/ma) $573.3 billion · Credit Services
2. [AbbVie Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/abbv) $510.4 billion · Drug Manufacturers - General
3. Costco Wholesale Corporation $461.1 billion
4. [Chevron Corporation](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/cvx) $444.4 billion · Oil & Gas Integrated
5. [Palantir Technologies Inc.](https://www.sectoralpha.in/us/stocks/pltr) $428.6 billion · Software - Infrastructure

## What else do people ask about Costco Wholesale? ### What is Costco Wholesale's stock price today? Costco Wholesale Corporation's stock price is $1,019, +11.8% over the past year. The whole company is worth $452 B on the market. In the last 52 weeks it traded between $855 to $1,049; today it is 85% of the way up from the low, 4.9% above its 200-day average (as of 3 November 2026). ### What were Costco Wholesale's latest quarterly results? Costco Wholesale Corporation reported revenue of $95.7 B and net profit of $3.0 B for the Aug 2026 quarter. Revenue rose 11.1% and profit rose 14.9% compared with a year earlier. Earnings per share were $6.75. The operating margin was 3.8%, 0.1 percentage points lower than a year earlier (as of 3 November 2026). ### What is Costco Wholesale's market cap? Costco Wholesale Corporation's market capitalisation is $452 B at a stock price of $1,019. Market cap is the share price times the number of shares, so it changes whenever the price moves (as of 3 November 2026). ### How is Costco Wholesale performing? Costco Wholesale Corporation's share price has been rising for 4 weeks. In its latest quarter, revenue rose 11.1% and profit rose 14.9% compared with a year earlier. Over the past 13 weeks it has done better than the S&P 500, for 5 weeks running (as of 3 November 2026). ### Will Costco Wholesale's stock price go up? This page does not forecast Costco Wholesale Corporation's stock price. What it shows instead: the stock price is $1,019, and it has been rising for 4 weeks. Its P/E of 49.1× is higher than 55% of its own last 5 years (as of 3 November 2026). ### Where is Costco Wholesale in its business cycle? Costco Wholesale Corporation's FY26 operating margin was 3.8%, against a 6-year range of 3.5% to 3.8%: the top of its range, a record year. When profit is at a record, every ratio looks better than usual, and the story depends on margins staying high. The latest quarter was 3.8%. Comparing margins with a company's own long history is a good way to see where it is in its cycle (as of 3 November 2026). ### What could break the Costco Wholesale story? Biggest thing to watch: margins are the best this company has ever reported. Every ratio looks better at a record, so the story depends on margins staying high. On price, this page treats a rise as over when the share price closes below its 200-day average on two Fridays in a row (as of 3 November 2026). ### Is Costco Wholesale a stock worth studying right now? What the numbers show: Costco Wholesale Corporation's earnings have grown faster than its share price. Earnings per share grew +14.0% in a year while the price moved +11.8%. The main open question: the next one or two quarters of results. Every number on this page is worked out by code from the published figures, with no forecasts and no price opinions (as of 3 November 2026). ## Lists

- Nasdaq 100 companies: https://www.sectoralpha.in/nasdaq-100-stocks
- S&P 500 companies: https://www.sectoralpha.in/sp-500-stocks

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