ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco Wholesale Corp. closed fiscal 2026 with double-digit sales growth in its fourth quarter and full year, while earnings increased and digitally enabled sales continued to significantly outpace overall comparable sales.
Net sales for the 16-week fourth quarter ended Aug. 30 rose 11.2% to $93.9 billion, up from $84.4 billion a year earlier. For the 52-week fiscal year, net sales increased 10.1% to $297.2 billion from $269.9 billion.
Total company comparable sales increased 9.4% in the quarter. Excluding changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates, comparable sales advanced 6.7%. Adjusted U.S. comparable sales rose 7.2%, while Canada increased 4.6% and other international markets gained 6.2%.
Digital remained a particularly strong growth engine. Digitally enabled comparable sales increased 19.5% in the fourth quarter, or 19.8% after adjusting for gasoline and currency effects. For the full year, adjusted digitally enabled sales climbed 20.7%.
Costco reported fourth-quarter net income of nearly $3 billion, or $6.75 per diluted share, compared with $2.61 billion, or $5.87 per share, in the year-ago period. Fourth-quarter earnings received a non-recurring benefit of 15 cents per diluted share from IEEPA tariff refunds received during the period, partially offset by Costco’s reinvestment of some of those refunds in increased member values.
For fiscal 2026, net income increased to $9.23 billion, or $20.76 per diluted share, from $8.10 billion, or $18.21 per share, a year earlier.
Membership fee revenue, a key component of Costco’s business model, reached $1.85 billion in the fourth quarter, up from $1.72 billion a year ago. For the full year, membership fees increased to $5.91 billion from $5.32 billion. Total fiscal-year revenue, including membership fees, topped $303 billion. Operating income rose to $11.69 billion from $10.38 billion.
The warehouse club also stepped up investment during the year. Capital expenditures totaled $6.44 billion, compared with $5.50 billion in fiscal 2025, while cash generated by operating activities increased to $15.83 billion from $13.34 billion. Costco ended the fiscal year with $20.21 billion in cash and cash equivalents.
Costco currently operates 939 warehouses worldwide, including 647 in the United States and Puerto Rico and 115 in Canada. Its international network also includes locations in Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China and several European markets.
