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Costco Wholesale Corp
COST · NASDAQ · Discount Stores
Costco Wholesale Corporation is one of the world’s largest membership-based warehouse retailers, operating stores and e-commerce platforms across the United States, Canada, and international markets.
Current price
$982.00
▲ +$27.37 (2.87%) today
Share price
Live market data▲ +46.44 (+4.96%)2025-10-13 — 2026-10-14
ET&A View
Last reviewed 14 September 2026
Buy
ET&A sees significant upside from the current price with an attractive risk/reward profile.
Fair Value
Members
12M Price Target
Members
Preferred Entry
Members
ET&A Score
8.0/ 10Strong overall
Costco is one of the highest-quality businesses in global retail, supported by its membership model, strong customer loyalty, scale advantages and unusually consistent comparable-sales growth.
Is it expensive?
Why we like it
- Holds more cash than debt.
- Profits are growing fast (+10%).
- Sales are growing steadily (+8% a year).
What worries us
- Thin profit margins — only about 4% of sales kept as profit.
Business Health
Is the business financially healthy?
Mostly healthy
Earnings and the balance sheet stand out. Watch margins.
Overall
Good
- Growth Good
Revenue
$303.2bn · ↑ +8% last year
- Growth Strong
Earnings
$9.2bn · ↑ +10% last year
- Below Average
Margins
Keeps 4% of sales as operating profit
- Average
Cash generation
$7.8bn spare cash a year · 3% of sales
- Excellent
Balance sheet
More cash than debt
- Yield Weak
Dividend
0.6% yield · Pays out 27% of earnings · covered 3.7×
Investor View
More on Costco Wholesale Corp
Open a section for the detail behind the quick view.
Our full viewET&A's complete thesis — why we hold the view we do.Members
Costco is one of the highest-quality businesses in global retail, supported by its membership model, strong customer loyalty, scale advantages and unusually consistent comparable-sales growth. The business continues to…
Insight
The complete ET&A view
See our full reasoning, what could drive the shares higher or go wrong, our Fair Value and Preferred Entry, and how our view has changed.
- Our View in full
- What could drive it higher / go wrong
- Fair Value & Preferred Entry
- How our view has changed
Explore Insight →Included with Insight
What could drive it higher — and what could go wrongThe catalysts and risks we are watching.Members
Valuation discussionWhere today's price sits, and how it compares with the company's own history and its peers.Members
Financial and earnings trendsSales, margins, profit, earnings per share and cash, year by year.
Reported annual results, newest first · Market data. “Growth” is the change in sales on the year before.
| Year | Revenue | Growth | Operating margin | Net income | EPS | Free cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $275.2bn | +8.2% | 3.8% | $8.1bn | $18.21 | $7.8bn |
| FY2024 | $254.5bn | +5.0% | 3.6% | $7.4bn | $16.56 | $6.6bn |
| FY2023 | $242.3bn | +6.8% | 3.3% | $6.3bn | $14.16 | $6.7bn |
| FY2022 | $227.0bn | — | 3.4% | $5.8bn | $13.14 | $3.5bn |
Next earningsThu, 10 Dec 2026Earnings calendar →
Who it suitsStrategy suitability and investment style.
Long-term growth investors
Also suits: Investors who want a mix of growth and stability
How it compares with peersOther companies we cover in Discount Stores.
Compare Costco Wholesale Corp with any company → The model’s own peer calculations are in the Research View.
What the company doesThe full company profile.
Costco Wholesale Corporation is one of the world’s largest membership-based warehouse retailers, operating stores and e-commerce platforms across the United States, Canada, and international markets. The company sells a limited selection of high-volume products across groceries, household goods, electronics, apparel, furniture, fuel, pharmacy, optical, travel, and other everyday categories, with members paying annual fees to access its low-price model.
Costco’s strength comes from its membership economics, purchasing scale, operational efficiency, loyal customer base, and reputation for value. Its warehouse model is built around high sales volumes, rapid inventory turnover, low gross margins, and a carefully controlled product range, including its Kirkland Signature private-label brand. This gives Costco a highly resilient retail profile, with exposure to everyday consumer spending, membership renewals, e-commerce growth, and long-term international expansion.
Discount Stores · USA
Research ViewOpen the full researchThe full researchFull financial statements, valuation multiples, historical data, forecasts, methodology, scoring calculations and the valuation model.OpenClose
For detailed analysis. Each section opens on its own.
Financial statementsEvery published figure with its source, the market snapshot and connected sheets.
Income
- Revenue
- $303.2bnMarket data
- Gross profit
- $38.7bnMarket data
- EBITDA
- $14.2bnMarket data
- Operating profit (EBIT)
- $10.4bnMarket data
- Net income
- $9.2bnMarket data
- Earnings per share (EPS)
- $20.76Market data
Growth
- Revenue growth, latest year
- Good8.2%Calculated
- Revenue growth, 3-year average
- Good6.6%Calculated
- Earnings growth, latest year
- Strong9.9%Calculated
- Earnings growth, 3-year average
- Strong11.5%Calculated
- Revenue growth, latest quarter vs a year earlier
- 11.1%Market data
- Earnings growth, latest quarter vs a year earlier
- 15.0%Market data
Margins & returns
- Gross margin
- Below Average12.8%Market data
- EBITDA margin
- 4.7%Market data
- Operating margin
- Below Average3.8%Market data
- Net margin
- Below Average3.0%Market data
- Return on equity (ROE)
- Excellent28.4%Market data
- Return on assets (ROA)
- 8.7%Market data
Cash flow
- Operating cash flow
- $15.8bnMarket data
- Free cash flow
- $7.8bnMarket data
- Free-cash-flow margin
- Average2.6%Calculated
- Free cash flow ÷ net income
- 0.8×Calculated
Balance sheet
- Cash
- $21.3bnMarket data
- Total debt
- $10.2bnMarket data
- Net cash (more cash than debt)
- $11.1bnMarket data
- Net debt ÷ EBITDA
- Excellent−0.8×Calculated
- Debt ÷ equity
- 0.3×Market data
- Current ratio
- 1.1×Market data
Shares & dividends
- Shares outstanding
- 443.1mMarket data
- Market capitalisation
- $435.2bnMarket data
- Dividend per share
- $5.54Market data
- Dividend yield
- Weak0.6%Market data
- Payout ratio
- 26.7%Market data
- Market data — the live feed (Yahoo Finance)
- Calculated — worked out by ET&A from the figures shown, using the formulas in our methodology
Other published figures
- Price / Sales
- Members
- EV / EBITDA
- Members
- Price / Book
- Members
- Forward P/E
- Members
Valuation ratios (P/E, P/S, P/B, EV/EBITDA) are part of ET&A membership — view plans.
Market data
LivePrice$982.00
Day+$27.37 (+2.87%)
52-week range$850.00 – $1,094.32
vs 52-week low+15.53%
vs 52-week high−10.26%
As of 14 October 2026
- P/E Ratio
- 47.3x
Valuation multiplesP/E, forward P/E, EV/EBITDA, Price/Sales and FCF yield — today and at Fair Value.Members
Standard ways of comparing the share price with the company’s earnings, sales and cash. Tap the “i” for what each one means.
| Measure | Today | Source |
|---|---|---|
| P/E | Members | |
| Forward P/E | Members | |
| EV/EBITDA | Members | |
| Price/Sales | Members | |
| FCF Yield | Members |
Valuation ratios are part of ET&A membership.
Other published measures
- Price / Book
- Members
Historical dataValuation history, how our view has changed, and the share-price history.
Share-price history
Use the 5Y and Max ranges on the price chart at the top of the page.
ForecastsWhat analysts expect — market consensus, not ET&A estimates.
Forecasts
- Forward EPS (next year, consensus)
- $25.02Market data
- Expected EPS growth, next year
- Strong10.7%Market data
- Expected revenue growth, next year
- 8.6%Market data
Forecasts are market consensus or calculated from forward EPS — not ET&A estimates, and they can be wrong.
MethodologyHow ET&A values a company and reaches a view.
How we value Costco Wholesale Corp
- 1. The right method for the business. Each business is valued on the method that suits its economics — earnings for most companies, book value and returns for banks and insurers, cash flows or dividends where earnings mislead.
- 2. What the business deserves. ET&A builds a fair multiple from the company's own quality, sustainable growth, earnings predictability and risk. History, peers and the market are checked against it, but they don't set it.
- 3. Fair Value. The earnings (or other basis) per share multiplied by that fair multiple, cross-checked against independent methods.
- 4. Preferred Entry. A price below Fair Value that leaves room for the return ET&A requires for the company's risk.
- 5. Is it expensive? Today’s price is placed on ET&A’s Valuation Attractiveness scale — the same measure the ET&A Score uses. Cheap is the Preferred Entry; above Fair Value the shares are Expensive, and Very Expensive once they are more than 25% above it.
Powered by the ET&A Valuation FrameworkHow Fair Value & Preferred Entry work →
Read the full ET&A methodology →How we reach a view
The ET&A View combines our assessment of the business with where today’s price sits against our Preferred Entry and Fair Value. It is a considered judgement, not a mechanical score.
- Business quality
- Financial performance
- Growth outlook
- Debt and financial strength
- Valuation
- Risk
- What could drive it higher
- Buy
- ET&A sees significant upside from the current price with an attractive risk/reward profile.
- Accumulate
- ET&A likes the company but would prefer investors to build exposure gradually.
- Hold
- ET&A sees limited reason to buy aggressively or sell at the current price.
- Reduce
- ET&A believes the current valuation or risk profile makes a smaller position more appropriate.
- Sell
- ET&A believes the downside risk materially outweighs the potential return at the current price.
ET&A Score: ET&A's overall assessment of business quality, valuation, growth and risk, out of 10. It weighs business quality, financial strength, growth, valuation, risk, future prospects.
Powered by the ET&A Company Assessment FrameworkSee the full framework →
Scoring calculationsBehind the ET&A Score and the Business Health ratings.
Behind the ET&A Score
The automatic, rules-based scores that feed our research. The ET&A Score blends these with our own analysis of the business and its value. How the framework works →
ET&A Quant Score
Mixed
Unprofitable · Strong balance sheet · Positive
Profitability & margins · Unprofitable2.9
Balance sheet · Strong balance sheet9.3
Price momentum · Positive6.6
Context — not part of the score
- Valuation multiplesPriced on the high side
- Share-price steadinessModerate volatility
- IncomeLow yield
Valuation and share-price swings describe the shares, not the company, so they are judged in the ET&A Score and View instead.
- Annualised volatility
- Members
- Max drawdown (1y)
- Members
- 12-month return
- Members
- 3-month return
- Members
- P/E
- Members
- Price / Sales
- Members
- EV / EBITDA
- Members
- EBITDA margin
- Members
- Net debt / EBITDA
- Members
- Dividend yield
- Members
The detailed figures behind these scores — price swings, past falls, returns, valuation and margins — are part of ET&A membership. View plans
Based on the factors that could be measured (45% of the model).
Business Health ratings
Each area is scored from 0 to 10 on ET&A’s methodology scales — the same ones our research uses — then given a word: Excellent from 8.5, Strong from 7, Good from 5.5, Average from 4.5, Below Average from 3, Weak below 3. The overall answer is the average of the areas we could rate (at least three); the dividend isn’t part of it.
| Area | Based on | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue |
Rated on 3-year average revenue growth, on ET&A's growth scale. | 6.0 / 10 | Good |
| Earnings |
Rated on 3-year average earnings growth, on ET&A's growth scale. | 7.3 / 10 | Strong |
| Margins |
The average of operating and net margin, each scored on ET&A's margin scales. A negative margin scores 1 (Weak). | 3.8 / 10 | Below Average |
| Cash generation |
Free cash flow as a share of sales, on ET&A's cash-generation scale. | 5.0 / 10 | Average |
| Balance sheet |
Net debt ÷ EBITDA — roughly how many years of operating earnings would repay the debt — on ET&A's leverage scale. | 9.7 / 10 | Excellent |
| Dividend |
Dividend yield on ET&A's income scale. Not part of the overall health rating. | 2.2 / 10 | Weak |
| Overall | Average of the 5 rated areas | 6.4 / 10 | Good |
ET&A's scales
Where each band starts on the scales above. They are fixed and identical for every company we cover; they come straight from ET&A’s methodology, so a company is judged the same way here as in our research.
| Measure | Excellent | Strong | Good | Average | Below Average | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthStructural Growth (Fundamental Conviction) | 18%+ | 10%+ | 5.0%+ | 1.7%+ | −2.5%+ | below −2.5% |
| Operating marginCompetitive Position (Fundamental Conviction) | 29%+ | 20%+ | 13%+ | 7.5%+ | 0%+ | below 0% (loss) |
| Net marginEarnings Durability (Fundamental Conviction) | 23%+ | 15%+ | 9.8%+ | 6.0%+ | 0%+ | below 0% (loss) |
| Free-cash-flow marginCapital Allocation (Fundamental Conviction) | 15%+ | 8.5%+ | 3.8%+ | 1.3%+ | −2.5%+ | below −2.5% |
| Net debt ÷ EBITDAStructural Risk (Fundamental Conviction) | net cash | ≤ 1.5× | ≤ 2.8× | ≤ 3.6× | ≤ 5.0× | above 5.0× |
| Return on equity (banks & insurers)Bank and insurer quality | 16%+ | 12%+ | 9.0%+ | 6.7%+ | 2.7%+ | below 2.7% |
| Equity ÷ assetsBank capital | 7.5%+ | 6.0%+ | 4.7%+ | 4.0%+ | any | — |
| Dividend yieldIncome factor (ET&A Quant Score) | 5.8%+ | 4.0%+ | 2.5%+ | 1.8%+ | 1.0%+ | below 1.0% |
Band floors: Excellent 8.5 · Strong 7 · Good 5.5 · Average 4.5 · Below Average 3 (scores out of 10). Utilities and property companies’ structural debt is scored 6.5, as in ET&A’s risk model.
Valuation model outputsFair Value, the 12-Month Price Target, Preferred Entry and the expected return — and how each was calculated.Members
Peer calculationsThe comparable companies the valuation model used, with their multiples and returns.Members
Detailed assumptionsEvery input the valuation model used, with its source.Members
Research notesNo research notes published yet.
No research notes have been published for Costco Wholesale Corp yet.
Need deeper analysis on Costco Wholesale Corp? ET&A Professional includes full company notes, valuations and models — or commission bespoke research.
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