Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Earnings Call Transcripts
Costco Wholesale Corporation's Latest Earnings Call - October 7, 2026
In the September 2026 earnings call, Costco Wholesale Corporation reported net sales of $30.02 billion, reflecting a robust 13% increase from $26.58 billion in the same month last year. Comparable sales in the U.S. rose by 12.5%, driven by strong traffic growth and digital sales, which were up 19%. Management highlighted that gas price inflation contributed positively to total reported comparable sales. Looking ahead, Costco's October sales period is expected to continue this momentum, although specific guidance for the upcoming quarter was not provided.
Reported metrics
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Net Sales | $30.02 billion |
| Comparable Sales (U.S.) | 12.5% |
| Comparable Sales Traffic | 4.7% |
| Gas Price Impact | 3.8% |
| Average Selling Price per Gallon | 32.8% |
Guidance from management
Management did not provide specific guidance for the upcoming quarter but indicated that the October sales period is expected to continue the positive momentum seen in September.
What analysts pressed on
Analysts expressed concerns regarding the potential impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on sales performance. There was also discussion about the sustainability of traffic growth in the face of rising inflation and economic uncertainties.
Main topics on the call
- Strong Sales Growth — Costco reported net sales of $30.02 billion for September 2026, a 13% increase year-over-year from $26.58 billion. Management noted, 'Total company comparable sales for the month, excluding all gas sales and the impact o...
- Digital Sales Performance — Digitally-enabled sales increased by 19% year-over-year, indicating strong consumer engagement through digital channels. Management stated, 'Digitally-enabled sales, which are sales initiated through a digital device, in...
- Traffic Growth — Comparable sales traffic increased by 4.7% worldwide and 4.3% in the U.S., suggesting a healthy increase in customer visits. Management highlighted, 'Our comp traffic or frequency for the month was up 4.7% worldwide and ...
- Impact of Gas Prices — Gas price inflation positively impacted total reported comparable sales by approximately 3.8%, with the average selling price per gallon up 32.8% year-over-year. Management noted, 'The average worldwide selling price per...
Read the full Costco Wholesale Corporation transcript (October 7, 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 — 124 calls on record spanning January 8, 2020 to October 7, 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 124 Costco Wholesale Corporation earnings call transcripts on record, spanning January 8, 2020 to October 7, 2026. Based on this history, Costco Wholesale Corporation reports quarterly. The most recent call on file is dated October 7, 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
- 124
- First call
- January 8, 2020
- Most recent
- October 7, 2026
- Reporting cadence
- quarterly