Costco Delivers Decent April Comparable Sales Performance

Costco Wholesale Corporation COST continued with its decent comparable sales growth in April. The performance reflects Costco’s ability to attract value-conscious shoppers with its competitive pricing and high-quality offerings.

Decoding COST’s April Comps

COST’s comparable sales for April reflect its market strength. For the four weeks ended May 4, 2025, comparable sales in the United States, Canada and Other International markets grew 5.2%, 1.5% and 3.2%, respectively. Total company comparable sales rose 4.4%. This followed increases of 6.4% and 6.5% in March and February, respectively.

Thanks to the calendar shift of Easter, April has one less shopping day compared to the same month last year, negatively impacting both total and comparable sales roughly one and a one-half to two percent.

When adjusting for the effects of gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates, Costco’s comparable sales paint an impressive picture. In the United States, comparable sales, excluding these factors, rose 7.1% in April, while Canada and Other International markets posted gains of 5% and 6.5%, respectively. The company’s total comparable sales, excluding these external factors, increased 6.7%.

Costco's e-commerce comparable sales jumped 12.6% or 13% when adjusted for gasoline prices and foreign exchange fluctuations. 

As a result, Costco's net sales for April increased 7% to $21.18 billion, up from $19.80 billion in the same period last year. This follows a sales improvement of 8.6% and 8.8% reported in March and February, respectively.

Costco’s Consistent Growth Keeps Investors Optimistic

Costco’s resilient business model, centered around a membership-based structure, continues to be a major growth driver. The company’s high membership renewal rates, coupled with its efficient supply-chain management and bulk purchasing power, ensure competitive pricing and customer loyalty.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have advanced 29.3% in the past year compared with the Retail – Discount Stores industry’s rise of 14.6%.

Other 3 Picks You Can’t Miss Out On

Sprouts Farmers SFM, which is engaged in the retailing of fresh, natural and organic food products, currently sportscarries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). SFM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 16.5%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sprouts Farmers’ current financial-year sales and earnings implies growth of 13.7% and 32%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.

United Natural Foods UNFI, which, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. UNFI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 408.7%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for United Natural Foods’ current financial year sales calls for growth of 1.9% from the year-ago reported numbers.

The TJX Companies, Inc. TJX, the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. TJX has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.5%, on average. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TJX’s current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 4.2% and 4%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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