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Costco's finances, and what holding COST would have done
Costco's revenue, profit, cash flow and debt from SEC filings, and what holding COST would have done in the past.
Costco (COST) was the number 21 US company by market value on 5 November 2026, at about $464 billion, on the companiesmarketcap.com ranking. Its figures come from its SEC filings, read on 5 November 2026. A figure a filing lacks is marked as not reported.
What Costco sells
Costco runs warehouse stores where members pay an annual fee to shop. It sells groceries, electronics, household goods and fuel at thin markups, in large packs.
The finances
- Revenue: $303 billion in the year to 30 August 2026 (10-K), up 10.1% from $275 billion. Double-digit growth is solid at this size.
- Net income: $9.2 billion in the year to 30 August 2026 (10-K), against $8.1 billion a year earlier; net margin 3.0%. Under $5 of every $100 of sales stayed as profit, a thin margin.
- Free cash flow: $9.4 billion in the year to 30 August 2026 (10-K), which is $15.8 billion of operating cash flow minus $6.4 billion of capital spending. Cash left over was above reported profit.
- Cash and debt: $20.2 billion in cash and $6.2 billion of debt (10-K, 30 August 2026). It held more cash than debt.
- Share count: 444 million average diluted shares in the year to 30 August 2026 (10-K), down 0.1% from 445 million. Basically unchanged.
One thing to notice: Net margin was about 3%. A large share of Costco's profit comes from membership fees and not from the goods themselves, which is why it can price goods so thinly. Its latest year ended on 30 August 2026, so no later 10-Q is in our data.
What holding it would have done
From our free long-term checker, which looks back only:
- Past returns, price only: 1-year +10% (SPY +10%), 3-year +82% (SPY +74%), 5-year +103% (SPY +62%), 10-year +595% (SPY +248%). That 10-year gain is 21.4% a year, against 13.3% for SPY.
- Worst fall: -31.5%, from the close on 7 April 2022 to the low on 20 May 2022 (43 days). Getting back to that high took another 566 days, to 7 December 2023. SPY's worst fall was -34.1%.
- How often holding ended higher: 88% of 1-year holds (worst -20%) and 100% of 5-year holds (worst +92%).
- Monthly buying against a lump sum: over the past 10 years, $100 a month ($12,100 in total) would have grown to $34,980. The same money in on day one would have grown to $84,070; in SPY, monthly buying ends at $24,571 and the lump sum at $42,078.
Price only: no dividends, fees or tax. Daily closes, 10 November 2016 to 3 November 2026. SPY is an S&P 500 fund.
What this does and does not tell you
The finances say how the business did. The long test says how the share price did. They are different things, and neither says what comes next. A good business can still be a poor buy at a high price.
This is one company over one stretch of history: an in-sample look at the past, not a promise. It is general information, not a call to buy or sell COST, and it sets no price target.
More
The other 24 are in The 25 biggest US stocks. To check any other stock, use the long-term checker.
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