COST COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW

BULLISH Impact: 6/10 8-K
Horizon days Filed May 28, 2026 Processed 1d 10h ago SEC 0000909832-26-000046
8-K Item 2.02: Earnings release
Latest settled — T+5d
COST ▲ +1.66% at T+5d
LONG call ✓ call won +1.66% · α vs SPY +4.16% · entry $956.00 → $971.87
Next anchor: T+20d in 20d
Currently $971.87 · +1.66% from $956.00 entry
Entry anchored
May 28, 04:12 PM ET
via Databento tick
T+1d
-1.04%
call -1.04% · α -1.29%
$946.10
settled 8d ago
T+5d
+1.66%
call +1.66% · α +4.16%
$971.87
settled 2d ago
T+20d
call — · α —
in 20d
T+60d
call — · α —
in 3mo

Price Chart

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Executive Summary

Costco reported Q3 FY2026 results with net sales of $69.15B (+11.6% YoY) and diluted EPS of $4.93 (+15.2% YoY), slightly beating the consensus estimate of $4.92. Total comparable sales rose 9.8% (6.6% ex-gas/FX), with strong U.S. comps of 9.4% (6.8% adjusted) and digitally-enabled comps up 21.5%. The company also filed an S-3ASR shelf registration two days prior, allowing for future debt securities offerings, which may signal opportunistic capital raising following strong results.

Key Financial Metrics

Gross Margin
11.04%

Actionable Insight

Costco's strong Q3 with accelerating sales growth (+11.6% vs +9.1% in Q2) and robust membership trends supports the premium valuation. The S-3ASR shelf filing two days before earnings is likely opportunistic given the strong cash position ($18.9B cash) and low debt ($5.7B). Monitor the conference call for guidance on tariff impacts and membership fee timing.

Key Facts

  • Q3 net sales $69.15B, +11.6% YoY from $61.96B
  • Diluted EPS $4.93, +15.2% YoY from $4.28, vs consensus $4.92 (0.1% beat)
  • Total company comparable sales +9.8% (+6.6% ex-gas/FX)
  • U.S. comparable sales +9.4% (+6.8% ex-gas/FX)
  • Digitally-enabled comparable sales +21.5%
  • Net income $2.19B, +15.2% YoY
  • Membership fee income $1.373B, +10.7% YoY
  • Operating cash flow $11.13B YTD, +17.6% YoY
  • S-3ASR shelf registration filed June 3, 2026 for future debt securities offerings
  • 931 total warehouses as of quarter end

Financial Impact

Revenue beat of ~$0.5B vs consensus ($69.15B vs $69.68B est) — slight miss on top line; EPS beat by $0.01

revenueepscomparable salesmembership feesoperating cash flow

Risk Factors

  • Gross margin compressed 21bps YoY (11.04% vs 11.25%)
  • SG&A increased 20bps YoY as a percentage of sales
  • S-3ASR shelf filing may precede future debt issuance, potentially diluting equity value
  • Geopolitical risks including tariffs and global conflicts noted in forward-looking statements

Market Snapshot

Price
$972.35
Change
+1.1%
Volume
2.2M
Exchange
Nasdaq
Sector
Retail-Variety Stores
Analyst Consensus
68% bullish (44 analysts)

Documents Analyzed

This report is based on 7 SEC documents filed with EDGAR.

DocumentAccession Number
8-K Filing (Primary)0000909832-26-000046
Document: cost-20260528.htm0000909832-26-000046
Document: costex9928-k52826.htm0000909832-26-000046
Document: 0000909832-26-000046-index-headers.html0000909832-26-000046
Document: 0000909832-26-000046-index.html0000909832-26-000046
Document: 0000909832-26-000046.txt0000909832-26-000046
8-K Data (Synthetic)0000909832-26-000046
11 reports for COST
Performance horizon
100% Hit rate 5 of 5 directional calls best @ T+60▲ +13.74%May 31, 2026
Filters
Rows
Reports for COST — sortable, filterable
Type Now
Jun 3, 2026
3d ago
Press Release
NEUTRAL ★ 4/10
awaiting T+1
Jun 2, 2026
4d ago
Court Ruling
BULLISH ★ 4/10
$954.41 $961.64▲ +0.76%▲ +1.45%$971.87 (+1.83%)
May 31, 2026
6d ago
ANALYST-UPGRADE
BULLISH ★ 2/10
$873.88 $888.75▲ +1.70%▲ +1.09%$971.87 (+11.21%)
May 28, 2026
9d ago
8-K
BULLISH ★ 6/10
$956.00 $946.10▼ −1.04%▼ −1.29%$971.87 (+1.66%)
May 1, 2026
5w ago
ANALYST-UPGRADE
MIXED ★ 1/10
$873.88 $888.75▲ +1.70%▲ +1.09%$971.87 (+11.21%)
Apr 8, 2026
8w ago
Press Release
BEARISH ★ 7/10
$1,029.87 $998.47▲ +3.05%▲ +2.99%$971.87 (+5.63%)
Mar 30, 2026
9w ago
Court Ruling
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$996.67 $996.43▼ −0.02%▼ −2.91%$971.87 (−2.49%)
Mar 30, 2026
9w ago
Court Ruling
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$996.67 $996.43▼ −0.02%▼ −2.91%$971.87 (−2.49%)
Mar 30, 2026
9w ago
Court Ruling
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$996.67 $996.43▼ −0.02%▼ −2.91%$971.87 (−2.49%)
Mar 5, 2026
13w ago
8-K
BULLISH ★ 8/10
$997.96 $1,004.91▲ +0.70%▼ −0.15%$971.87 (−2.61%)
Showing 10 of 11

US Market Status

Market Closed — Opens Mon (14h 48m)

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