Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) stock analysis
Company overview and business model
Source fact: Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. It offers merchandise, including sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, deli, liquor, and tobacco; non-food merchandise comprising appliances, small electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, lawn and garden, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal, automotive, stamps, tickets, apparel, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and fresh food, such as meat, produce, service deli, and bakery products. The company is also involved in warehouse ancillary operations, which include gasoline, pharmacies, optical, food courts, hearing-aid centers, and tire installation centers. In addition, it engages in e-commerce, business centers, travel, and other businesses. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
Classification: NASDAQ · Consumer Defensive · Discount Stores
Revenue and growth
Source fact: Revenue was USD 275.24 billion for the period ending 2025-08-31.
Caverian calculation: Revenue changed +8.2% (FY2025 vs FY2024).
Profitability
Source fact: Net income was USD 8.10 billion in the latest reported period.
Source metric: Reported net margin was 2.9%.
Balance sheet and liquidity
Source fact: Cash and equivalents were USD 14.16 billion.
Source fact: Total debt was USD 8.17 billion.
Source metric: Current ratio was 1.03x.
Cash-flow analysis
Source fact: Operating cash flow was USD 13.34 billion.
Source fact: Free cash flow was USD 7.84 billion.
Valuation
Source metrics: Trailing P/E 48.07x; Forward P/E 41.20x; Price to book 25.04x; Price to sales 1.41x; EV/EBITDA 29.90x.
Caverian model output: Value score was 18/100.
Competitive position
Classification: Peer context: Discount Stores within Consumer Defensive.
Caverian model output: Quality score was 65/100.
Caverian model output: Growth score was 57/100.
Material risks
Caverian calculation: Altman Z-score was 9.65 (safe zone).
Caverian calculation: Piotroski F-score was 6/9.
Data sources and freshness
Freshness: This report uses a stored upstream snapshot; statement periods are shown alongside the figures.
Methodology and limitations
Facts reproduce stored upstream fields. Calculations derive only from the displayed stored statements. Model outputs are Caverian interpretations, not investment advice or a buy/sell recommendation.
How Caverian approaches valuation · Sources and product principles