- Price
- $935.68 → $946.92(+1.2%)
- Discount
- -26.4% → -28.0%(−1.5 pts)
- Next earnings
- 2026-12-24 → 2026-12-10
- Balance sheet
- Costco has a net cash balance sheet and uses very little debt. At August 30, 2026, cash and short-term investments wereCash: $21.3 billion, against3B
Debt: $6.2 billion of long-term debt. $2.25 billion of senior notes matures in May and June 2027. 2B
Net cash was about: $15.1 billion, before about1B
Interest cover: 80×
Debt due within 12 months: $2.4 billion of long-term operating lease liabilities3B
Ratings: S&P AA (stable outlook)
Costco has a net cash balance sheet and uses very little debt. In fiscal 2026, operating income of $11.7 billion covered interest expense of $145 million about 80 times. Much of the cash comes from how the business works. Accounts: accounts payable of $22.6 billion were larger than inventory of $19.3 billion, so suppliers fund the stock on the shelves. Members also pay $3.0 billion of fees in advance. Debt is long-term debt at August 30, 2026, and the $2.25 billion due within 12 months is senior notes that mature in May and June 2027. About $2.4 billion of long-term operating lease liabilities are not in the debt. Interest cover is for fiscal 2026. S&P ratesraised Costco to AA with a stable outlook, raised from A+ in January 2025. In fiscal 2026, operating cash flow was $15.8 billion. It paid for $6.4 billion of capital spending, $2.5 billion of regular dividends and $0.8 billion of buybacks. The cash pile still grew by $6.0 billion. This large surplus gives room for another special dividend or more stores. Costco has paid special dividends from such surpluses before, most recently $12 per share in January 2026.
As of 2026-08-30.
- Checkpoints
- Nov 2026 (estimate): October sales report: comparable sales without gasoline. Pending. Watch: US comparable sales growth excluding gasoline and currency that stays in the mid-single digits or higher passes; a clear slowdown once the gasoline price boost fades fails.
Dec 2410, 2026 (estimate): Q1 fiscal 2027 earnings: renewals, margins, tariffs. Pending. Watch: Worldwide renewal rate near 90% and membership fee growth with stable gross margin despite tariffs pass; falling renewal rates or a margin squeeze from absorbed tariffs fail.
Jan 2027 (estimate): Buyback authorization expires; new capital return decision. Pending. Watch: A new buyback authorization or a special dividend paid from the net cash passes; no new program while cash keeps building fails.