Costco Wholesale Corp

Costco Wholesale Corporation closed fiscal 2026 with total revenue of $276.4 billion, up 8.1% year over year, as the warehouse retailer reported net sales of $93.87 billion, up 11.2%, and net income of $2.998 billion in its September 24 earnings call. Membership remains the engine of the business, with 84.1 million paid members, including 42.3 million Executive tier members, a group that grew 9.4% and pushed that tier's share of the base to a new high, while renewal rates rose to 92.3% in the US and Canada and 89.8% worldwide. Membership fee income climbed 7.3% to $1.849 billion, and management plans 33 openings in fiscal 2027 as it works toward 30 net new warehouses a year, with digitally enabled sales topping $33 billion on growth above 20%. The quarter was not spotless, as reported gross margin slipped to 11.02% from 11.13% a year earlier and the LIFO charge jumped to $152 million from $43 million, tied to pricier memory in electronics and Middle East conflict costs for gas, motor oil, and resins, while tariff refunds added $0.15 per share and the $184 million received covers only about a third of the expected recovery. With the stock trading near historical valuation highs at a forward P/E of 40.32 and hedge fund ownership slipping to 104 funds from 107, the debate now centers on whether membership loyalty and the expansion plan can keep earnings growing into a premium that leaves little room for a stumble.

ASUS announced that the ASUS Googlebook 14 (CX9406CAA) is now available for purchase in Canada, its first-ever laptop designed for Gemini Intelligence. The 14-inch ultraportable, weighing 0.99kg and measuring as thin as 10.9mm, is offered in an Intel Core Ultra 5 configuration with an MSRP of C$1,799 and an Intel Core Ultra 7 configuration with an MSRP of C$1,899, sold through the ASUS Store, Amazon, Best Buy, Canada Computers, Costco, and Staples. Eligible purchasers receive 12 months of Google AI Pro and 5TB of cloud storage, plus three months of YouTube Premium, Adobe Premiere, and CapCut Pro, along with 12 months of Luminar Photo Editor and GeForce NOW Fast Pass. Launch promotions include, until October 31, 2026, a choice at Best Buy between Pixel Buds 2a valued at C$180 or C$280 off a Google Pixel 9a, and, until December 31, 2026, a one-year warranty extension plus an ASUS AP1602 backpack and ASUS Marshmallow Mouse MD100 worth a combined C$170 at the ASUS Store, a C$150 gift card at Staples, a C$150 promo code at Amazon, a C$165 gift card at Costco, or a Logitech MX Master 4 mouse valued at C$160 at Canada Computers. The laptop pairs an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor with 16GB LPDDR5X memory and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and features a 14-inch 3K OLED HDR touchscreen with up to 1000 nits peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate, a six-speaker audio system, a six-sensor haptic touchpad, WiFi 7, and a 70Wh battery rated for up to 18 hours.

Costco Wholesale Corporation's ancillary businesses delivered strong results in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, with gross margin for ancillary and other businesses rising 23 basis points year over year and 32 basis points excluding gasoline inflation, while comparable sales in ancillary operations surged in the high 20s percentage range on strength in gasoline, pharmacy and travel. Costco's gasoline business reached record volumes in fiscal 2026 as U.S. member household penetration hit an all-time high, saving members an estimated $3.2 billion at the pump versus regional market averages, and the company expanded 26 high-volume U.S. gas stations to support throughput. The pharmacy department posted nearly 20% sales growth, aided by digital options such as Rx Mobile Pay Ahead and Pickup Lockers plus specialized GLP-1 and fertility programs, yielding double-digit script growth that helped offset Medicare Maximum Fair Price adjustments, and Costco announced a partnership with SCAN Health Systems to develop Medicare Advantage benefits. Costco Travel achieved double-digit growth across vacation packages, cruises and car rentals, with cruise bookings up 16% and more than 750,000 members sent on cruises during the fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco's current fiscal-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 8.3% and 11.8%, respectively, and over the past seven days the current fiscal-year earnings estimate rose 36 cents to $22.87 per share while the next fiscal-year estimate rose 44 cents to $24.94 per share.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $6.60 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.48 and rising 12.4% year over year, while total revenues climbed 11.1% to $95,723 million and topped the consensus estimate of $94,820 million. Reported earnings came in at $6.75 per share, including a 15-cent nonrecurring benefit related to tariff refunds. Adjusted comparable sales, excluding gasoline price and foreign exchange impacts, increased 6.7%, membership fee income rose 7.3% to $1,850 million, worldwide traffic grew 3.3% and the average transaction value increased 5.9%. The company ended the quarter with 84.1 million paid members, up 3.8%, and 150.4 million cardholders, up 3.6%, while digitally enabled comparable sales jumped 19.5%. During fiscal 2026, Costco opened 28 warehouses, including three relocations, for 25 net new buildings and a global count of 939, and management plans another 33 openings in fiscal 2027, including five relocations, against a long-term pace of roughly 30 net new warehouses annually. Over the past seven days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current fiscal year moved up 30 cents to $22.80 and the next fiscal year rose 44 cents to $24.90, implying growth of 11.5% and 9.2%, respectively, while Costco carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

UBS has identified the leading U.S. hardlines retail stocks as the industry confronts the emergence of AI-powered shopping agents, which the firm calls one of the most consequential developments in retail since the rise of e-commerce. The analysis examines how retailers with scale, fulfillment capabilities, and genuine differentiation may navigate the shift as AI agents increasingly intermediate commerce between consumers and merchants. UBS says the most immediate downside risk to revenue remains low, but the larger risk may emerge in profit pools rather than top-line sales, particularly as AI agents potentially bypass sponsored search results and retail media advertisements. The six names on the list are Walmart, Target, Costco, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Kroger. Walmart is cited for a balanced strategy that embraces partnerships with external AI platforms while investing in its own capabilities, with the challenge centering on protecting high-margin advertising businesses and ecosystem economics rather than preserving sales growth. Costco benefits from scale, pricing power, and a differentiated membership model, while Home Depot and Lowe's retain defensive advantages through installation services, technical expertise, and project guidance, and Kroger operates in grocery, where repetitive shopping is conducive to automation but fresh food selection and immediate consumption needs continue to anchor consumers in physical stores.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported U.S. comparable sales growth of 10.7% year over year in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, outpacing its overall comparable sales growth of 9.4%. Adjusted U.S. comparable sales, excluding gasoline prices and foreign exchange, rose 7.2%, with U.S. comparable traffic up 3.2% and the average ticket up 7.3%; on an adjusted basis, traffic growth held at 3.2% while adjusted ticket growth was 3.9%. Management said member spending remained resilient, with adjusted comparable sales excluding gas and foreign exchange consistently running in the 6%-7% range, and named nonfood as the strongest-performing category. The company also implemented price reductions on select everyday items as part of efforts to return value to members following tariff refunds. Separately, Walmart U.S. comp sales rose 2.6% in the second quarter of fiscal 2027 on a 1.5% increase in transactions and a 1.1% rise in average ticket, with U.S. e-commerce sales up 24%, while Target posted comparable sales growth of 3.8% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 on a 3.6% increase in comparable traffic and an 8.7% rise in digital comparable sales.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $93,873 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, up 11.2% year over year, with total company comparable sales expanding 9.4% and adjusted comparable sales up 6.7%. Worldwide traffic rose 3.3% during the 16-week quarter ended Aug. 30, 2026, while the average transaction size climbed 5.9% globally, or 3.3% on an adjusted basis. In the United States, reported comparable sales rose 10.7% on a 7.3% ticket gain and a 3.2% traffic increase, with adjusted U.S. comparable sales up 7.2%; Canada posted adjusted comparable sales growth of 4.6% and other international markets 6.2%. Digitally-enabled comparable sales jumped 19.5% on a reported basis and 19.8% adjusted for foreign exchange. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco's current fiscal-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 7.9% and 10.4%, respectively, and the current-year earnings estimate has risen 7 cents to $22.57 per share over the past seven days.

Costco reported third quarter revenue of $95.72 billion, beating analyst estimates of $94.85 billion with 11.1% year-on-year growth, while adjusted EPS came in at $6.60 against estimates of $6.52. Same-store sales rose 9.4% year on year, up from 5.7% in the same quarter last year, and the company ended the quarter with 939 locations, up from 914 a year earlier. On the earnings call, CFO Gary Millerchip said executive member penetration and digital sign-ups drove higher renewal rates and spending per member, and that current membership growth rates are expected to persist, with international expansion as a possible catalyst. CEO Ron Vachris said gas, pharmacy, and travel led the way, all growing faster than the overall growth rate, and described ongoing expansion of the Kirkland Signature brand as a pricing lever against commodity inflation. Costco currently trades at $922.26, up from $897.41 just before the earnings, with a market capitalization of $409.1 billion.

Costco Wholesale reported fourth-quarter sales of US$93,873 million and full-year sales of US$297,247 million in late September 2026, with both revenue and net income rising compared with the prior year. The results underscored the continued strength of Costco's fee-based membership model, which helped lift earnings even as operating costs remained under pressure. The company also launched nationwide on the DoorDash Marketplace, broadening same-day delivery access to all U.S. warehouses as part of its digital and omnichannel push. Costco's narrative projects US$363.2 billion in revenue and US$11.6 billion in earnings by 2029, requiring 7.4% yearly revenue growth and a US$2.8 billion earnings increase from US$8.8 billion today. Some of the most optimistic analysts were already projecting revenue near US$382 billion and earnings around US$12.6 billion by 2029, far more upbeat than consensus.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported fiscal 2026 membership-fee revenue of $5.907 billion, up from $5.323 billion, an increase of $584 million or approximately 11%. The company ended the year with 84.1 million paid memberships, up 3.8%, including 42.3 million Executive memberships, which accounted for 75.6% of fourth-quarter sales; renewal rates were 92.3% in the United States and Canada and 89.8% worldwide. Annual net sales rose 10.1% to $297.2 billion, while operating income increased approximately 12.5% to $11.685 billion, and fourth-quarter earnings benefited by $0.15 per diluted share from International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariff refunds after partial reinvestment in member value. Costco's Executive program generally offers a 2% reward on qualifying purchases subject to an annual limit, and rewards reduce sales after allowing for estimated nonredemptions, a reduction that totaled $3.007 billion in fiscal 2025. Accrued member rewards stood at $3.037 billion at fiscal year-end versus $2.677 billion a year earlier, but the results release does not disclose the fiscal 2026 rewards reduction, so investors cannot directly compare incremental fee revenue with incremental reward costs.

RBC Capital reaffirmed a Sector Perform rating and a $1,000 price target on Costco Wholesale Corporation while raising its earnings forecasts, according to a research note reported on September 25. The firm lifted its FY26 EPS estimate by $0.21 to $20.76 and its FY27 estimate by $0.10 to $22.86, incorporating expected IEEPA tariff refunds in early 2027 along with updated margin, store expansion and capital expenditure assumptions. Costco reported FY26 total revenue of $303.15 billion, including $5.91 billion in recurring membership fees, an 11% year-over-year increase, and net income of $9.23 billion. Operating cash flow rose to $15.83 billion from $13.34 billion, funding $6.44 billion in capital expenditures, while cash and cash equivalents climbed to $20.21 billion from $14.16 billion and non-current debt fell to $3.91 billion from $5.71 billion. RBC flagged the stock's premium valuation, trading near 40x to 45x forward earnings, as its core bottleneck, and noted that Q4 net income of $2.998 billion included a non-recurring $0.15 EPS benefit from tariff refunds.

Costco Wholesale Corporation has expanded its Uber Eats partnership from 17 states to 47, making nearly 600 warehouses available through the platform. Members can order fresh produce, bulk groceries, and household essentials for on-demand or scheduled delivery with real-time tracking, and Uber One members get free delivery on qualifying orders above $60 at select locations. Uber Technologies executive Andrew Macdonald framed the expansion as proof of the scale and opportunity Uber can bring to retailers chasing rising delivery demand. Costco can now sell memberships directly inside the Uber Eats app, with an initial discount for new members, while Uber gains a large retail partner with recurring grocery and household spending. Costco also expanded delivery through DoorDash while maintaining its Instacart relationship, so Uber does not hold an exclusive position. According to Insider Monkey's database, Costco's hedge fund count fell to 104 in the second quarter of 2026 from 107 in the first, even as position value rose to $11.59 billion from $10.40 billion, while Uber's holder count slipped to 151 from 153 with position value essentially flat at $9.33 billion versus $9.30 billion.

U.S. stocks advanced this week as investors weighed geopolitical developments, with the Dow adding 0.28%, the S&P 500 gaining 1.21%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 2.06%. AMD became the latest chipmaker to cross the $1 trillion mark in valuation on Monday, following Nvidia, Broadcom, and Micron. Novo Nordisk shares fell after its Capital Markets Day in London, where it unveiled 2030 growth targets including a $23 billion obesity sales target and plans to launch more than five multi-blockbusters by 2030. Paramount Skydance, the Writers Guild of America, and twelve attorneys general agreed on terms enabling the entertainment conglomerate to complete its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, with Paramount agreeing to keep its headquarters in California among other concessions. Costco delivered a better-than-expected quarter, with total revenue rising 12% to $95.72 billion, beating estimates by $830 million, and profit of $6.75 per share, 5 cents above expectations, while U.S. comparable sales rose 7.2% on an adjusted basis. McDonald's committed roughly $8.5 billion at its investor day to help franchisees modernize restaurants, targeting operating margins in the low-to-mid 50% range by 2030.

Five of the six S&P 500 companies reporting earnings this week topped consensus EPS estimates, with one matching expectations and none missing, while five of the six also expanded profits year over year. Costco Wholesale reported fiscal fourth-quarter net sales up 12% to $95.72 billion, beating estimates by $830 million, with diluted EPS up 15% to $6.57 and global adjusted comparable sales up 6.7%. Cintas posted fiscal first-quarter revenue up 11% year over year to $3.01 billion and adjusted EPS of $1.39, and raised its fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to $12.15 billion to $12.27 billion and adjusted EPS guidance to $5.45 to $5.54. AutoZone reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue up 5.6% to $6.59 billion with EPS of $56.05, General Mills posted revenue of $4.4 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.75 with full-year EPS guidance of $3.00 to $3.20, and Paychex reported revenue up 6% to $1.63 billion with adjusted EPS of $1.34. Darden Restaurants reported first-quarter revenue of $3.2 billion, missing estimates by $10 million, with fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $11.10 to $11.35 below the analyst forecast.

Costco received $184 million in tariff refunds during its fiscal fourth quarter and has reinvested about half of that into lower prices on certain high-volume items, Mizuho Americas Director and Senior Analyst David Bellinger said on Market Domination. Costco is due for another $300 million plus in tariff refunds, which Bellinger expects will largely flow back into the membership experience through low prices and rewards. The warehouse retailer posted US same-store sales growth of about 7% and membership growth of just under 4%, a deceleration from the 7% to 8% heights of a few years ago, while earnings growth came in slightly above the published Street number. Bellinger said the in-line quarter should be rewarded even at a big valuation, given signs of a strained consumer, including AutoZone's earlier results and McDonald's reporting negative same-store sales growth in August. More than nine out of 10 members renew their Costco memberships, a rate that has picked up slightly over each of the past few quarters.

Microsoft has launched a new version of its Copilot AI assistant that merges the consumer and workplace products into a single offering aimed at corporate customers, with three modes — chat, code, and autopilot — and roughly 30 million customers so far, CEO Satya Nadella told Yahoo Finance's Deirdre Bosa in an interview. Nadella said the autopilot mode, which connects to a user's apps, email and workflows and acts as a personal assistant, represents the next generation of enterprise automation and will roll out in the coming weeks, though he cautioned that token costs mean "once the subsidies stop for everybody" the business model must be justified by customer return on investment. On China, Nadella said it is in both countries' interests to agree on norms, including a direct notification channel between presidents in the event of a cybersecurity attack, following this week's Trump-Xi summit. Separately, Costco reported quarterly profit above Wall Street estimates with earnings per share of 695 cents, including 15 cents from $184 million in tariff refunds, while comparable sales rose 6.7%. Akamai announced a $12 billion computing deal with Anthropic, building on a $1.8 billion agreement earlier in the year, with warrants giving Anthropic the right to buy Series B shares at $113.33 each that convert into 7.7 million common shares. Tesla confirmed high-volume production of its Semi had begun at its Sparks, Nevada factory and announced a 2,500-truck order from a coalition of shipping companies including PepsiCo, which Fast Company called the largest US order for electric heavy-duty trucks.

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $6.60, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6.48, on total revenues of $95.72 billion that surpassed the consensus mark of $94.82 billion. President and CEO Ron Vachris said Costco opened 25 net new warehouses in fiscal 2026, bringing the worldwide total to 939, and management plans 33 openings in fiscal 2027, including five relocations, as it works toward 30 net new warehouses annually. CFO Gary Millerchip said Costco sees a five-to-10-year path for maintaining that 30-new-warehouse annual target, with fiscal 2027 capital expenditures expected at approximately $7.5 billion, up from $6.4 billion in fiscal 2026. Costco ended the quarter with 84.1 million paid members, up 3.8% year over year, while paid executive memberships rose 9.4% to 42.3 million, and digitally enabled sales exceeded $33 billion in fiscal 2026, increasing more than 20%. Costco received $184 million in fiscal fourth-quarter tariff refunds and interest, representing slightly more than one-third of expected refunds, and management intends to reinvest the majority of refund dollars into increased member value through price reductions across produce, meat, beverages and selected nonfood merchandise.

Akamai Technologies shares soared after the cloud provider inked a seven-year $11.6 billion deal to provide computing power to Anthropic. Analysts said the contract, which is entirely focused on CPUs, should boost Akamai's growth and offers an attractive profitability profile, with TD Cowen noting that as long as industry-wide computer shortages remain, Akamai should be able to win more cloud infrastructure contracts. People shares jumped on a report that MGM Resorts is discussing making a bid to purchase the Barry Diller-owned media giant, in which People owns about a 27% stake. Costco Wholesale's quarterly profits surpassed Wall Street's estimates after the company recorded a benefit of nearly $200 million related to tariff refunds, though the stock was down about 1% as analysts noted it trades at roughly 40 times forward earnings. Swedish pharma company Nanexa rose 50% after Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, agreed to pay up to 1.3 billion to license and develop Nanexa's drug delivery technology.

Costco Wholesale topped fiscal fourth quarter earnings estimates, with quarterly profit beating Wall Street expectations as EPS came in at 695, though tariff refunds from the Trump administration added 15 cents to EPS, or $184 million. Same store sales rose 6.7%, better than expected, with strength in gas, travel, home furniture, small electronics and beauty. In fiscal year 2026, penetration of US member households that purchased gas hit a record high, and Costco said it saved members $3.2 billion versus the average price at the pump in markets where it operates. Executives on the call flagged two pressures on gross margin: higher memory costs in consumer appliances and electronics, and inflation in gas, motor oil and resin tied to the conflict in the Middle East.

Costco Wholesale reports fiscal fourth-quarter results after the close on Thursday, with the headline revenue number already largely known because the warehouse club discloses monthly sales. Fourth-quarter net sales reached $93.9 billion, up 11.3% from $84.4 billion a year ago, and full-year fiscal 2026 net sales came in at $297.3 billion, up 10.2%. Total company comparable sales rose 9.4% for the quarter, led by a 10.7% gain in the U.S., with Canada up 5.0% and other international markets up 7.0%, while digitally enabled comparable sales climbed 19.5%; stripping out gasoline prices and foreign exchange, total company comparable sales rose 6.7%. Consensus calls for earnings of roughly $6.48 per share, up about 10.4% from $5.87 a year ago, on revenue of approximately $94.82 billion, up 10%, and for the full fiscal year analysts expect earnings near $20.42 per share, up 13.5%. Investors will focus on the membership renewal rate, which stood at 93.0% in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, eased to 92.1% over the following quarters, and ticked back up to 92.2% last quarter, as well as on how much Costco's IEEPA tariff refunds contributed to earnings after the Supreme Court's February decision striking the tariffs down. Costco operates 939 warehouses worldwide, including 647 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and its shares have slipped about 4.5% over the past month, trading near 40 times forward earnings.

Costco Wholesale announced a new partnership with DoorDash and a major extension of its relationship with Uber, vastly expanding its same-day delivery reach while still leaving it well behind rivals like Walmart and Amazon. The membership-based retailer's same-day delivery had until now consisted largely of teaming up with Instacart for very quick delivery of groceries and other essentials, while Costco typically handles two-day shipping itself. Costco's hold on its customers remains strong: 92.3% of members in the U.S. and Canada renewed last year, and net sales for the fiscal year ended in August hit $297.3 billion, nearly triple what they were a decade ago. Its e-commerce business is growing faster than store sales, with digitally-enabled sales up 20.9% in the recently ended fiscal year against a companywide comparable sales uptick of 8.4%. GlobalData managing director Neil Saunders said e-commerce is important to Costco but not the be-all and end-all, and that the retailer is well differentiated enough that it isn't as involved in the digital grocery battle Amazon and Walmart are fighting. Costco's low-margin model, with membership revenue roughly equivalent to net income most years and an average of about 4,000 items per store versus 100,000 at Walmart, is why it partners with other companies for same-day delivery rather than building its own infrastructure.

Mondelēz International announced the global launch of Toblerone Diamond Truffles with Biscoff, a collaboration with Lotus Bakeries that marks the first time the company has partnered with Costco to launch a product range on a global scale. Each diamond-shaped truffle is crafted from Toblerone milk chocolate, filled with Biscoff spread and finished with honey-almond nougat pieces. The product comes in two formats: a 495g premium box exclusive to Costco across the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Australia, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Sweden, Iceland and New Zealand, and a 180g sharing box available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland and Australia, with additional markets to follow. Iain Livingston, President of Toblerone and World Travel Retail at Mondelēz International, said the diamond-shaped truffles already proved a category success after their 2024 introduction, making the combination with Biscoff a natural next step. Isabelle Maes, Chief Marketing Officer of Lotus Bakeries, said the partnership brings the iconic Biscoff biscuit and spread experience to consumers in an entirely new format.

Costco Wholesale has rolled out nationwide same-day delivery across the U.S. through DoorDash for its members, an expansion that now covers all U.S. Costco warehouses. DoorDash will handle orders placed through its app and website, sourcing them from nearby Costco locations and sending them to customers. The arrangement puts more than 4,000 items per warehouse onto the DoorDash Marketplace, letting members buy groceries, Kirkland Signature products and seasonal items without a warehouse trip. The company's stated narrative leans on e-commerce growth, and the key proof point will be whether digital and same-day sales keep building on the 22.2% e-commerce comp performance cited in that narrative, alongside membership growth and renewal rates around the 90% to 92% range. Simply Wall St's analysis also cites a $1,083 fair value for Costco Wholesale.

DoorDash Inc. expanded its retail and sports presence Thursday with a nationwide Costco rollout and a multiyear partnership with the National Hockey League. Costco Wholesale Corp. is now available through DoorDash across all U.S. warehouses, expanding an existing global relationship between the two companies that already covers Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland and Puerto Rico. Costco members can order more than 4,000 products, including groceries, household essentials, electronics, seasonal merchandise and Kirkland Signature products, by linking an active membership through the DoorDash app for same-day delivery. Separately, DoorDash became the NHL's exclusive Official On-Demand Delivery and Pick Up Partner in Canada and the U.S., beginning with the 2026-27 season and marking its first partnership with the league, with marketing rights across nationally televised games, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and major NHL events. DoorDash carries a Buy consensus rating and an average price forecast of $247.55, with recent bullish actions including Scotiabank's Sector Outperform initiation with a $275 price forecast, StoneX's Buy rating with a $295 forecast and Rosenblatt's Buy initiation with a $270 forecast.

Costco is expanding its same-day delivery network through new and broadened partnerships with DoorDash and Uber as it looks to grow e-commerce sales and compete with retailers like Walmart and Target. DoorDash announced that Costco members can now order groceries, dry goods, household essentials and other products through the DoorDash app for fast delivery from their local store, extending an existing relationship between the companies in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland and Puerto Rico. Uber announced a major expansion of its Costco partnership to deliver products in 47 states, up from 17 states, with nearly 600 Costco locations now available on the Uber Eats app for on-demand and scheduled delivery. Costco is also available on Uber Eats in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, France and Spain. The expansion of food and grocery delivery platforms into retail delivery underscores the rapid evolution of the parcel delivery market, where online sales now represent 16.5% of total retail sales and are growing at about 10% per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, while alternative carriers now make up about 8.5% of the parcel freight market, up from 2.6% of parcel volume in 2021, according to The Colography Group.

Costco is expected to declare a record special dividend later this year, a possibility that could be signaled when the warehouse club operator reports its fiscal fourth-quarter results on Sept. 24. The company has already reported net sales rose 11.3% to $93.9 billion for the 16 weeks of the fiscal period that ended late last month, fueled largely by a 10.7% jump in comps at its stateside stores. Costco has delivered 22 straight years of dividend hikes, but its 0.7% yield has been overshadowed by special distributions declared every two or three years: $15 a share on Dec. 27, 2023, $10 on Dec. 1, 2020, $7 on May 8, 2017, $5 on Feb. 5, 2015, and $7 on Dec. 6, 2012. With three years now elapsed since the last payout, the article argues a substantial one-time dividend is likely before the end of this year, though the last two December payouts were declared in November and December rather than at the earnings report itself. Any language during the Sept. 24 earnings call suggesting the cash Costco has been stockpiling since 2023 is growing would be a dead giveaway.

Uber Technologies and Costco have significantly expanded their U.S. partnership, making Costco delivery through Uber Eats available to millions of additional customers across 47 states, up from 17 states previously. Nearly 600 Costco locations are now accessible through the Uber Eats platform, offering both on-demand and scheduled delivery of fresh produce, bulk groceries, household essentials and Costco-exclusive merchandise. As part of the expanded partnership, eligible Costco members can receive a 50% discount on an annual Uber One membership during the first year, followed by a 20% discount in subsequent years, while participating Costco stores and Costco.com will offer Uber and Uber Eats gift cards worth $100 for $79.99 for a limited period. Consumers can also purchase a Costco membership directly through Uber Eats for a limited time and receive 30% off their first eligible Costco order, and Uber One members can access delivery without Uber fees on eligible grocery and retail orders exceeding $60. The U.S. expansion builds on the companies' existing international relationship, with Costco also available through Uber Eats in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, France and Spain.