Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Earnings Call Transcripts
Costco Wholesale Corporation's Latest Earnings Call - August 5, 2026
For the month of July 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $23.12 billion, reflecting a robust increase of 10.7% year-over-year from $20.89 billion. Comparable sales grew by 8.9%, with notable contributions from digital sales, which surged by 17.7%. Management did not provide specific forward guidance for the upcoming month, but the strong sales performance could indicate continued momentum, potentially impacting stock performance positively in the near term.
Reported metrics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Net Sales | $23.12B (beat) |
| Comparable Sales | 8.9% (beat) |
| Digital Sales Growth | 17.7% (beat) |
| Average Transaction Growth | 5.1% (beat) |
| Comp Traffic Growth | 3.6% (beat) |
| Gas Sales Growth | low 30s% (beat) |
Guidance from management
Management did not provide specific guidance for the upcoming month, maintaining a focus on current performance metrics and trends.
What analysts pressed on
Analysts expressed concerns about the sustainability of growth driven by gas price inflation and the potential impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on international sales. There was also a focus on whether the strong digital sales growth could be maintained in the face of increasing competition.
Main topics on the call
- Strong Comparable Sales Growth — Costco's total comparable sales increased by 8.9%, driven by a 10.3% rise in the U.S. and a notable 17.7% increase in digitally-enabled sales. Management highlighted, 'Gas price inflation positively impacted total report...
- Traffic and Transaction Growth — Worldwide comp traffic was up 3.6%, with U.S. traffic increasing by 3.3%. The average transaction value rose by 5.1%, indicating strong consumer spending despite inflationary pressures.
- Regional Performance Variability — The Midwest, Southeast, and San Diego regions in the U.S. showed the strongest comparable sales. In international markets, Taiwan, Korea, and China performed well, suggesting a diverse growth strategy.
- Merchandising Highlights — Food categories, particularly bakery and meat, performed well, with fresh foods up mid-single digits. Nonfood departments also saw positive growth, indicating a balanced sales mix.
Read the full Costco Wholesale Corporation transcript (August 5, 2026) → Summary generated from the call transcript; every figure above is stated by management on the record.
About Costco Wholesale Corporation
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is a publicly listed company in the Consumer Staples Distribution and Retail industry, within the Consumer Staples sector. It trades on NasdaqGS and is based in US. EarningsCalls.dev maintains a free, full-text archive of its earnings call transcripts — 118 calls on record spanning January 8, 2020 to August 5, 2026. Every transcript is split into speaker-by-speaker segments with headline metrics, free to read or available through our REST API.
Earnings Call History
EarningsCalls.dev has 118 Costco Wholesale Corporation earnings call transcripts on record, spanning January 8, 2020 to August 5, 2026. Based on this history, Costco Wholesale Corporation reports quarterly. The most recent call on file is dated August 5, 2026. The full list is below — each row opens the complete, free-to-read transcript.
- Ticker
- COST
- Exchange
- NasdaqGS
- Country
- US
- Sector
- Consumer Staples
- Calls on record
- 118
- First call
- January 8, 2020
- Most recent
- August 5, 2026
- Reporting cadence
- quarterly