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Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Results

By Costco Wholesale Corporation | September 25, 2025, 4:15 PM

ISSAQUAH, Wash., Sept. 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today announced its operating results for the 16-week fourth quarter and the 52-week fiscal year ended August 31, 2025.

Net sales for the quarter increased 8.0 percent, to $84.4 billion, from $78.2 billion last year. Net sales for the fiscal year increased 8.1 percent, to $269.9 billion, from $249.6 billion last year.

Comparable sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year were as follows:

  16 Weeks 16 Weeks 52 Weeks 52 Weeks 
    Adjusted*   Adjusted* 
 U.S.5.1% 6.0% 6.2% 7.3% 
 Canada6.3% 8.3% 5.0% 8.3% 
 Other International8.6% 7.2% 4.8% 8.2% 
          
 Total Company5.7% 6.4% 5.9% 7.6% 
          
 E-commerce13.6% 13.5% 15.6% 16.1% 

*Excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange.

Net income for the fourth quarter was $2.610 billion, $5.87 per diluted share, compared to $2.354 billion, $5.29 per diluted share, last year. Last year’s results included a net non-recurring tax benefit of $63 million, $0.14 per diluted share, related to a transfer pricing settlement, and true-ups of tax reserves. Net income for the fiscal year was $8.099 billion, $18.21 per diluted share, compared to $7.367 billion, $16.56 per diluted share, last year.

Costco currently operates 914 warehouses, including 629 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 110 in Canada, 42 in Mexico, 37 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 20 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, two in Sweden, and one each in Iceland, and New Zealand. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.

A conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT) today, September 25, 2025, and will be available via a webcast on investor.costco.com (click “Events & Presentations”).

Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, inflation or deflation, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health-care costs and wages), workforce interruptions, energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), the ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, regulatory and other impacts related to environmental and social matters, public-health related factors, and other risks identified from time to time in the Company’s public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Comparable sales and comparable sales excluding impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange are intended as supplemental information and are not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

CONTACTS:Costco Wholesale Corporation
 Josh Dahmen, 425/313-8254
 Andrew Yoon, 425/313-6305
  

COST-Earn

 
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(dollars in millions, except per share data) (unaudited)
    
 16 Weeks Ended 52 Weeks Ended
 August 31, 2025 September 1, 2024 August 31, 2025 September 1, 2024
REVENUE       
Net sales$84,432  $78,185  $269,912  $249,625 
Membership fees 1,724   1,512   5,323   4,828 
Total revenue 86,156   79,697   275,235   254,453 
OPERATING EXPENSES       
Merchandise costs 75,037   69,588   239,886   222,358 
Selling, general and administrative 7,778   7,067   24,966   22,810 
Operating income 3,341   3,042   10,383   9,285 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)       
Interest expense (46)  (49)  (154)  (169)
Interest income and other, net 215   120   589   624 
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 3,510   3,113   10,818   9,740 
Provision for income taxes 900   759   2,719   2,373 
NET INCOME$2,610  $2,354  $8,099  $7,367 
        
NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE:       
Basic$5.88  $5.30  $18.24  $16.59 
Diluted$5.87  $5.29  $18.21  $16.56 
        
Shares used in calculation (000’s):       
Basic 444,007   444,013   443,985   443,914 
Diluted 444,706   444,977   444,803   444,759 
        


 
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(amounts in millions, except par value and share data) (unaudited)
 
Subject to Reclassification
    
 August 31,
2025
 September 1,
2024
ASSETS   
CURRENT ASSETS   
Cash and cash equivalents$14,161  $9,906 
Short-term investments 1,123   1,238 
Receivables, net 3,203   2,721 
Merchandise inventories 18,116   18,647 
Other current assets 1,777   1,734 
Total current assets 38,380   34,246 
OTHER ASSETS   
Property and equipment, net 31,909   29,032 
Operating lease right-of-use assets 2,725   2,617 
Other long-term assets 4,085   3,936 
TOTAL ASSETS$77,099  $69,831 
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY   
CURRENT LIABILITIES   
Accounts payable$19,783  $19,421 
Accrued salaries and benefits 5,205   4,794 
Accrued member rewards 2,677   2,435 
Deferred membership fees 2,854   2,501 
Other current liabilities 6,589   6,313 
Total current liabilities 37,108   35,464 
OTHER LIABILITIES   
Long-term debt, excluding current portion 5,713   5,794 
Long-term operating lease liabilities 2,460   2,375 
Other long-term liabilities 2,654   2,576 
TOTAL LIABILITIES 47,935   46,209 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES   
EQUITY   
Preferred stock $0.005 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding     
Common stock $0.005 par value; 900,000,000 shares authorized; 443,237,000 and 443,126,000 shares issued and outstanding 2   2 
Additional paid-in capital 8,282   7,829 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (1,770)  (1,828)
Retained earnings 22,650   17,619 
TOTAL EQUITY 29,164   23,622 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY$77,099  $69,831 
    


 
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(amounts in millions) (unaudited)
 
Subject to Reclassification
  
 52 Weeks Ended
 August 31,
2025
 September 1,
2024
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES   
Net income$8,099  $7,367 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:   
Depreciation and amortization 2,426   2,237 
Non-cash lease expense 303   315 
Stock-based compensation 860   818 
Other non-cash operating activities, net (117)  (9)
Changes in working capital 1,764   611 
Net cash provided by operating activities 13,335   11,339 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES   
Purchases of short-term investments (1,028)  (1,470)
Maturities of short-term investments 1,141   1,790 
Additions to property and equipment (5,498)  (4,710)
Other investing activities, net 74   (19)
Net cash used in investing activities (5,311)  (4,409)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES   
Repayments of short-term borrowings (862)  (920)
Proceeds from short-term borrowings 816   928 
Repayments of long-term debt (103)  (1,077)
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt    498 
Tax withholdings on stock-based awards (393)  (315)
Repurchases of common stock (903)  (700)
Cash dividend payments (2,183)  (9,041)
Financing lease payments and other financing activities, net (147)  (137)
Net cash used in financing activities (3,775)  (10,764)
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS 6   40 
Net change in cash and cash equivalents 4,255   (3,794)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS BEGINNING OF YEAR 9,906   13,700 
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS END OF YEAR$14,161  $9,906 
        

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