Grocery retailer Costco (COST) has reported financial results that beat Wall Street forecasts on the top and bottom lines.
The Seattle-based warehouse club announced earnings per share (EPS) of $4.58 U.S. for what was its fiscal second quarter. That topped estimates of $4.55 U.S.
Costco’s revenue came in at $69.6 billion U.S., which was slightly ahead of projections of $69.3 billion U.S.
Comparable-store sales increased 6.7% from a year earlier and were ahead of the 6.3% rise expected among analysts.
Management said that comparable-store sales have been steadily improving, noting that they rose 7.9% in February, 7.1% in January, and 7% last December.
Costco also continues to expand its e-commerce business, noting that its “digitally enabled sales” rose 22.6% year-over-year in the latest quarter.
The company’s membership renewal rate stood at 89.7%, unchanged from the previous quarter.
Costco also reported $419 million U.S. in share repurchases and $1.15 billion U.S. in dividends paid over the final months of last year.
However, Costco once again failed to announce the payment of a special dividend along with its financial results.
Costco’s strong cash position has allowed the retailer to pay special dividends every two or three years. The company last paid a special dividend of $15 U.S. a share in December 2023.
COST stock has risen 15% so far in 2026 and currently trades at $982.57 U.S. per share.
