Stock · COST · Consumer Defensive
United States · Large Cap · listed since 1993 · Revenue 12 mo. $303.2B
Price as of 11/06/2026
Summary
51.1 of 100
Mean of the six area values. Each area value is the mean of the stock's ranks among the companies in its sector. 50 is the middle of the sector, not a share of companies beaten.
Analysis
What the price requires
If free cash flow stays at €8.4B (2026), it supports €93.6B. The remaining €317.8B of the market value assume it grows 20.6% a year for 10 years and not at all afterwards.
Required FCF growth per year
20.6%
no growth afterwards
Price to operating cash flow 29.6×, within its usual range.
Middle half of 20 quarters: 25.7× to 31.0×, median 28.0×.
Measures only against its own past, not against what the company is worth. Price as of 11/06/2026.
with respect to the priced-in expectation
with respect to the priced-in expectation
AI summary of the 2026 annual report
A language model selected and condensed statements from the report. Each statement carries a verbatim quote. The selection is not complete and shows the state of the report. It gives no rating and does not feed into the score.
Form 10-K, fiscal year ended 08/30/2026, filed 10/07/2026. Open the report at the SEC
| Segment | Share | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 72.5% | $219.8B |
| Other International | 14.1% | $42.8B |
| Canada | 13.4% | $40.6B |
From the report's structured data (XBRL), not from the language model. The sum can differ slightly from group revenue.
The company mainly operates membership warehouses in the U.S., Puerto Rico and other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Japan and the U.K.
We are principally engaged in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States (U.S.) and Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Sweden, Iceland, and New Zealand.Members pay an annual membership fee of $65 in the U.S. The fee varies in other countries and includes a free household card.
Our annual fee for memberships is $65 in the U.S., varies in other countries and includes a free household card.The business concept is that low prices on a limited selection of national-brand and private-label products in a wide range of categories will produce high sales volumes and fast inventory turnover.
We operate membership warehouses and e-commerce sites based on the concept that offering low prices on a limited selection of nationally-branded and private-label products in a wide range of categories will produce high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover.The company's gasoline business represented 11% of total net sales in 2026.
Our gasoline business represented 11% of total net sales in 2026.Sales to Executive members made up approximately 75.2% of worldwide net sales in 2026.
The penetration of sales to Executive members represented approximately 75.2% of worldwide net sales in 2026.Business centers sell items for food services, convenience stores and offices, through walk-in shopping and deliveries.
Our business centers carry items tailored for food services, convenience stores, and offices, and offer walk-in shopping and deliveries.Walmart, Target, Kroger and Amazon are among the main general merchandise competitors in the U.S.
Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Amazon are among our significant general merchandise retail competitors in the U.S.The company also competes with other warehouse clubs in the U.S., including Walmart's Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club.
We also compete with other warehouse clubs, including Walmart’s Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club in the U.S.The industry is highly competitive, with competition based on factors such as price, quality and selection, location, convenience, distribution strategy and customer service.
Our industry is highly competitive, based on factors such as price, merchandise quality and selection, location, convenience, distribution strategy, and customer service.The company's results depend heavily on its U.S. and Canadian operations, which made up 86% of net sales and 83% of operating income in 2026.
Our financial and operational performance is highly dependent on our U.S. and Canadian operations, which comprised 86% and 83% of net sales and operating income in 2026.If the Kirkland Signature brand loses member acceptance or confidence, sales and gross margin results could be adversely affected.
If the Kirkland Signature brand experiences a loss of member acceptance or confidence, our sales and gross margin results could be adversely affected.The fast development of AI has automated and accelerated cybersecurity threats, potentially reducing the time the company has to detect and limit security incidents.
The rapid evolution of AI has automated and accelerated the scale of cybersecurity threats, potentially reducing the time for us to detect and mitigate potential information security incidents.Future exchange-rate fluctuations that are unfavorable may hurt the financial performance of the Canadian and other international operations.
Future fluctuations in exchange rates that are unfavorable to us may adversely affect the financial performance of our Canadian and Other International operations and have a corresponding adverse effect on our results of operations.The company sells a substantial amount of gasoline, and demand for it could be affected by concerns and regulation about climate change.
We sell a substantial amount of gasoline, the demand for which could be impacted by concerns and regulation about climate change.Since the last quarter
Q2 → Q3 2026
6 more unchanged: Revenue, 12 mo., Gross margin, EBIT margin, FCF margin, Shares outstanding, Return on equity
Derivation
Each area value is the average of its metrics' ranks within the sector (0 to 100, 50 is the middle). For metrics where lower is better, the rank is mirrored. The overall value is the average of the area values.
Price as of 11/06/2026.
| Metric | Stock | Sector median | Position in sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 25.77% | 12.35% | Rank 85 |
| Return on capital (Greenblatt) | 28.53% | 20.14% | Rank 69 |
| EBIT margin | 3.85% | 9.44% | Rank 19 |
| FCF margin | 3.10% | 6.71% | Rank 17 |
| Gross margin | 12.82% | 35.78% | Rank 9 |
| Metric | Stock | Sector median | Position in sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth, 1 year | 10.14% | 2.12% | Rank 92 |
| Earnings growth, 3 years per year | 13.61% | 5.20% | Rank 69 |
| Earnings growth, 5 years per year | 13.00% | 6.07% | Rank 73 |
| Sustainable growth (ROE × retained earnings) | 2.12% | 3.77% | Rank 17 |
| Metric | Stock | Sector median | Position in sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings yield | 1.97% | 4.25% | Rank 12 |
| FCF yield | 2.05% | 5.05% | Rank 14 |
| EV/saleslower is better | 1.47 | 1.51 | Rank 51 |
| EV/EBITlower is better | 38.15 | 16.74 | Rank 4 |
| Metric | Stock | Sector median | Position in sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share price, 1 year | 4.47% | 3.24% | Rank 53 |
| Share price, 6 months | 4.92% | 11.30% | Rank 31 |
| Share price, 3 months | 16.29% | 9.00% | Rank 82 |
| Distance from 52-week high | −3.72% | −7.96% | Rank 70 |
| Metric | Stock | Sector median | Position in sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accruals (Sloan)lower is better | −0.26% | −0.99% | Rank 39 |
| Change in share countlower is better | −0.08% | −0.62% | Rank 38 |
| Dividend streak in years | 2 | 5 | Rank 30 |
| Price reaction to results, market-adjusted | 2.41% | 0.22% | Rank 77 |
| Metric | Stock | Sector median | Position in sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity ratio | 40.21% | 41.95% | Rank 48 |
| Net debt/EBITDAlower is better | −0.89 | 1.96 | Rank 93 |
| Debt to equitylower is better | 0.24 | 0.67 | Rank 81 |
| Volatility, 1 yearlower is better | 20.25% | 25.82% | Rank 96 |
Ten years in figures
| Year | Revenue, $B | EBIT margin | FCF, $B | Shares | Net debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 129.0 | 3.2% | 4.2 | 441M | $2.1B |
| 2018 | 141.6 | 3.2% | 2.8 | 442M | $432.0M |
| 2019 | 152.7 | 3.1% | 3.4 | 443M | −$1.6B |
| 2020 | 166.8 | 3.3% | 6.1 | 444M | −$1.2B |
| 2021 | 195.9 | 3.4% | 5.4 | 444M | $149.0M |
| 2022 | 227.0 | 3.4% | 3.5 | 445M | $703.0M |
| 2023 | 242.3 | 3.4% | 6.7 | 444M | −$3.2B |
| 2024 | 254.5 | 3.7% | 6.6 | 445M | $43.0M |
| 2025 | 275.2 | 3.8% | 7.8 | 445M | −$3.9B |
| 2026 | 303.2 | 3.9% | 9.4 | 444M | −$11.6B |
3 of 7 StockScorer Score rules met · How the score is built
Costco Wholesale Corp mainly meets criteria in the Profitability category. Result from 18 strategies checked.
Costco Wholesale Corp is rated here with the StockScorer Score strategy, the flagship rule set. It compares return and cash-flow metrics with the median of the company's own sector and checks growth and price trend.
3 of 7 rules met
4 of 11 points
Detail data
Excerpt from 18 strategies checked. The full evaluation is visible after a free sign-up.
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Selected fundamental metrics for Costco Wholesale Corp.
| Metric | Stock | Sector |
|---|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 50.8 | 22.8 |
| P/B ratio | 13.1 | 2.6 |
| Return on equity (ROE) | 25.8% | 12.3% |
| Equity ratio | 40.2% | 42.0% |
| Debt-to-equity (D/E) | 0.24 | 0.67 |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | 2.6% |
How comparable stocks in the same sector score in the StockScorer model.
| Symbol | Company | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| COST | Costco Wholesale Corpthis page | |
| WMT | Walmart Inc. | Low1.8 |
| TGT | Target Corporation | Low1.8 |
| WALMEX.MX | Wal-Mart de México S.A.B. de C.V. | locked |
| DOL.TO | Dollarama Inc | locked |
| DG | Dollar General Corporation | locked |
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