Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports Second Quarter and Year-To-Date Operating Results For Fiscal 2025 and February Sales Results

ISSAQUAH, Wash., March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today announced its operating results for the second quarter (twelve weeks) and the first 24 weeks of fiscal 2025, ended February 16, 2025.

Net sales for the quarter increased 9.1 percent, to $62.53 billion, from $57.33 billion last year. Net sales for the first 24 weeks increased 8.3 percent, to $123.52 billion, from $114.05 billion last year.

Comparable sales for the second quarter and first 24 weeks of fiscal 2025 were as follows:

  12 Weeks   12 Weeks   24 Weeks   24 Weeks
      Adjusted*       Adjusted*
U.S. 8.3%   8.6%   6.8%   7.9%
Canada 4.6%   10.5%   5.2%   8.6%
Other International 1.7%   10.3%   3.2%   8.7%
               
Total Company 6.8%   9.1%   6.0%   8.1%
               
E-commerce 20.9%   22.2%   17.1%   17.9%

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

Net income for the quarter was $1,788 million, $4.02 per diluted share, compared to $1,743 million, $3.92 per diluted share, last year. Last year’s second quarter net income was positively impacted by a $94 million ($0.21 per diluted share) tax benefit due to the deductibility of the $15 per share special dividend to the extent received by 401(k) plan participants. Net income for the first 24 weeks was $3.59 billion, $8.06 per diluted share, compared to $3.33 billion, $7.49 per diluted share, last year.

For the four-week reporting month of February, ended March 2, 2025, the Company reported net sales of $19.81 billion, an increase of 8.8 percent from $18.21 billion last year. Net sales for the first 26 weeks were $133.36 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent from $123.15 billion last year.

Comparable sales for the February and year-to-date periods ended March 2, 2025, were as follows:

  4 Weeks   4 Weeks   26 Weeks   26 Weeks
      Adjusted*       Adjusted*
U.S. 8.6%   8.6%   6.9%   7.9%
Canada 3.2%   8.7%   5.1%   8.6%
Other International -0.6%   6.5%   3.0%   8.7%
               
Total Company 6.5%   8.3%   6.1%   8.1%
               
E-commerce 19.0%   20.2%   16.9%   17.7%

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

Costco currently operates 897 warehouses, including 617 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 109 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 36 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. 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, March 6, 2025, and is available via a webcast on investor.costco.com (click on “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
  David Sherwood, 425/313-8239
  Josh Dahmen, 425/313-8254
  Andrew Yoon, 425/313-6305
   

COST-Earn
COST-Sales

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(dollars in millions, except per share data) (unaudited)
 
  12 Weeks Ended   24 Weeks Ended
  February 16, 2025   February 18, 2024   February 16, 2025   February 18, 2024
REVENUE              
Net sales $ 62,530     $ 57,331     $ 123,515     $ 114,048  
Membership fees   1,193       1,111       2,359       2,193  
Total revenue   63,723       58,442       125,874       116,241  
OPERATING EXPENSES              
Merchandise costs   55,744       51,140       109,853       101,597  
Selling, general and administrative   5,663       5,240       11,509       10,598  
Operating income   2,316       2,062       4,512       4,046  
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)              
Interest expense   (36 )     (41 )     (73 )     (79 )
Interest income and other, net   142       216       289       376  
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES   2,422       2,237       4,728       4,343  
Provision for income taxes   634       494       1,142       1,011  
NET INCOME $ 1,788     $ 1,743     $ 3,586     $ 3,332  
               
NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE:              
Basic $ 4.03     $ 3.93     $ 8.08     $ 7.51  
Diluted $ 4.02     $ 3.92     $ 8.06     $ 7.49  
               
Shares used in calculation (000s):              
Basic   443,982       443,892       443,985       443,859  
Diluted   444,886       444,754       444,888       444,579  
               

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 (amounts in millions, except par value and share data) (unaudited)
       
Subject to Reclassification      
       
  February 16, 2025   September 1, 2024
ASSETS      
CURRENT ASSETS      
Cash and cash equivalents         $ 12,356     $ 9,906  
Short-term investments           802       1,238  
Receivables, net           3,060       2,721  
Merchandise inventories           18,754       18,647  
Other current assets           1,925       1,734  
Total current assets           36,897       34,246  
OTHER ASSETS      
Property and equipment, net           29,809       29,032  
Operating lease right-of-use assets           2,531       2,617  
Other long-term assets           3,987       3,936  
TOTAL ASSETS
        
$ 73,224     $ 69,831  
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY      
CURRENT LIABILITIES      
Accounts payable         $ 18,610     $ 19,421  
Accrued salaries and benefits           5,150       4,794  
Accrued member rewards           2,491       2,435  
Deferred membership fees           2,824       2,501  
Other current liabilities           7,924       6,313  
Total current liabilities           36,999       35,464  
OTHER LIABILITIES      
Long-term debt, excluding current portion           5,755       5,794  
Long-term operating lease liabilities           2,284       2,375  
Other long-term liabilities           2,609       2,576  
TOTAL LIABILITIES
        
  47,647       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; 443,730,000 and 443,126,000 shares issued and outstanding           2       2  
Additional paid-in capital           8,047       7,829  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss           (2,242 )     (1,828 )
Retained earnings           19,770       17,619  
TOTAL EQUITY
        
  25,577       23,622  
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
        
$ 73,224     $ 69,831  
               

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 (amounts in millions) (unaudited)
 
Subject to Reclassification
   
  24 Weeks Ended
  February 16, 2025   February 18, 2024
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES      
Net income $ 3,586     $ 3,332  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:      
Depreciation and amortization   1,100       1,015  
Non-cash lease expense   137       148  
Stock-based compensation   614       580  
Other non-cash operating activities, net   (79 )     (7 )
Changes in working capital   650       314  
Net cash provided by operating activities   6,008       5,382  
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES      
Purchases of short-term investments   (345 )     (719 )
Maturities of short-term investments   752       1,029  
Additions to property and equipment   (2,401 )     (2,071 )
Other investing activities, net   (13 )     9  
Net cash used in investing activities   (2,007 )     (1,752 )
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES      
Repayments of short-term borrowings   (389 )     (409 )
Proceeds from short-term borrowings   370       383  
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt         498  
Tax withholdings on stock-based awards   (390 )     (292 )
Repurchases of common stock   (412 )     (322 )
Cash dividend payments   (515 )     (8,012 )
Financing lease payments and other financing activities, net   (98 )     (96 )
Net cash used in financing activities   (1,434 )     (8,250 )
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS   (117 )     15  
Net change in cash and cash equivalents   2,450       (4,605 )
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS BEGINNING OF YEAR   9,906       13,700  
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS END OF PERIOD $ 12,356     $ 9,095