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Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports Second Quarter and Year-To-Date Operating Results For Fiscal 2025 and February Sales Results

ISSAQUAH, Wash., March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: COST) today announced its operating results for the second quarter (twelve weeks) and the first 24 weeks of fiscal 2025, ended February 16, 2025.

Net sales for the quarter increased 9.1 percent, to $62.53 billion, from $57.33 billion last year. Net sales for the first 24 weeks increased 8.3 percent, to $123.52 billion, from $114.05 billion last year.

Comparable sales for the second quarter and first 24 weeks of fiscal 2025 were as follows:

 12 Weeks 12 Weeks 24 Weeks 24 Weeks
   Adjusted*   Adjusted*
U.S.8.3% 8.6% 6.8% 7.9%
Canada4.6% 10.5% 5.2% 8.6%
Other International1.7% 10.3% 3.2% 8.7%
        
Total Company6.8% 9.1% 6.0% 8.1%
        
E-commerce20.9% 22.2% 17.1% 17.9%

*Excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange.

Net income for the quarter was $1,788 million, $4.02 per diluted share, compared to $1,743 million, $3.92 per diluted share, last year. Last year’s second quarter net income was positively impacted by a $94 million ($0.21 per diluted share) tax benefit due to the deductibility of the $15 per share special dividend to the extent received by 401(k) plan participants. Net income for the first 24 weeks was $3.59 billion, $8.06 per diluted share, compared to $3.33 billion, $7.49 per diluted share, last year.

For the four-week reporting month of February, ended March 2, 2025, the Company reported net sales of $19.81 billion, an increase of 8.8 percent from $18.21 billion last year. Net sales for the first 26 weeks were $133.36 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent from $123.15 billion last year.

Comparable sales for the February and year-to-date periods ended March 2, 2025, were as follows:

 4 Weeks 4 Weeks 26 Weeks 26 Weeks
   Adjusted*   Adjusted*
U.S.8.6% 8.6% 6.9% 7.9%
Canada3.2% 8.7% 5.1% 8.6%
Other International-0.6% 6.5% 3.0% 8.7%
        
Total Company6.5% 8.3% 6.1% 8.1%
        
E-commerce19.0% 20.2% 16.9% 17.7%

*Excluding the impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange.

Costco currently operates 897 warehouses, including 617 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 109 in Canada, 41 in Mexico, 36 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. Costco also operates e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.

A conference call to discuss these results is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT) today, March 6, 2025, and is available via a webcast on investor.costco.com (click on “Events & Presentations”).

Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For these purposes, forward-looking statements are statements that address activities, events, conditions or developments that the Company expects or anticipates may occur in the future. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results or performance to differ materially from those indicated by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, domestic and international economic conditions, including exchange rates, inflation or deflation, the effects of competition and regulation, uncertainties in the financial markets, consumer and small business spending patterns and debt levels, breaches of security or privacy of member or business information, conditions affecting the acquisition, development, ownership or use of real estate, capital spending, actions of vendors, rising costs associated with employees (generally including health-care costs and wages), workforce interruptions, energy and certain commodities, geopolitical conditions (including tariffs), the ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, regulatory and other impacts related to environmental and social matters, public-health related factors, and other risks identified from time to time in the Company’s public statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law. Comparable sales and comparable sales excluding impacts from changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange are intended as supplemental information and are not a substitute for net sales presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

CONTACTS:Costco Wholesale Corporation
 David Sherwood, 425/313-8239
 Josh Dahmen, 425/313-8254
 Andrew Yoon, 425/313-6305
  

COST-Earn
COST-Sales

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(dollars in millions, except per share data) (unaudited)
 
 12 Weeks Ended 24 Weeks Ended
 February 16, 2025 February 18, 2024 February 16, 2025 February 18, 2024
REVENUE       
Net sales$62,530  $57,331  $123,515  $114,048 
Membership fees 1,193   1,111   2,359   2,193 
Total revenue 63,723   58,442   125,874   116,241 
OPERATING EXPENSES       
Merchandise costs 55,744   51,140   109,853   101,597 
Selling, general and administrative 5,663   5,240   11,509   10,598 
Operating income 2,316   2,062   4,512   4,046 
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)       
Interest expense (36)  (41)  (73)  (79)
Interest income and other, net 142   216   289   376 
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 2,422   2,237   4,728   4,343 
Provision for income taxes 634   494   1,142   1,011 
NET INCOME$1,788  $1,743  $3,586  $3,332 
        
NET INCOME PER COMMON SHARE:       
Basic$4.03  $3.93  $8.08  $7.51 
Diluted$4.02  $3.92  $8.06  $7.49 
        
Shares used in calculation (000s):       
Basic 443,982   443,892   443,985   443,859 
Diluted 444,886   444,754   444,888   444,579 
        

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 (amounts in millions, except par value and share data) (unaudited)
    
Subject to Reclassification   
    
 February 16, 2025 September 1, 2024
ASSETS   
CURRENT ASSETS   
Cash and cash equivalents        $12,356  $9,906 
Short-term investments         802   1,238 
Receivables, net         3,060   2,721 
Merchandise inventories         18,754   18,647 
Other current assets         1,925   1,734 
Total current assets         36,897   34,246 
OTHER ASSETS   
Property and equipment, net         29,809   29,032 
Operating lease right-of-use assets         2,531   2,617 
Other long-term assets         3,987   3,936 
TOTAL ASSETS        $73,224  $69,831 
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY   
CURRENT LIABILITIES   
Accounts payable        $18,610  $19,421 
Accrued salaries and benefits         5,150   4,794 
Accrued member rewards         2,491   2,435 
Deferred membership fees         2,824   2,501 
Other current liabilities         7,924   6,313 
Total current liabilities         36,999   35,464 
OTHER LIABILITIES   
Long-term debt, excluding current portion         5,755   5,794 
Long-term operating lease liabilities         2,284   2,375 
Other long-term liabilities         2,609   2,576 
TOTAL LIABILITIES         47,647   46,209 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES   
EQUITY   
Preferred stock $0.005 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding             
Common stock $0.005 par value; 900,000,000 shares authorized; 443,730,000 and 443,126,000 shares issued and outstanding         2   2 
Additional paid-in capital         8,047   7,829 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss         (2,242)  (1,828)
Retained earnings         19,770   17,619 
TOTAL EQUITY         25,577   23,622 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY        $73,224  $69,831 
        

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 (amounts in millions) (unaudited)
 
Subject to Reclassification
  
 24 Weeks Ended
 February 16, 2025 February 18, 2024
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES   
Net income$3,586  $3,332 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:   
Depreciation and amortization 1,100   1,015 
Non-cash lease expense 137   148 
Stock-based compensation 614   580 
Other non-cash operating activities, net (79)  (7)
Changes in working capital 650   314 
Net cash provided by operating activities 6,008   5,382 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES   
Purchases of short-term investments (345)  (719)
Maturities of short-term investments 752   1,029 
Additions to property and equipment (2,401)  (2,071)
Other investing activities, net (13)  9 
Net cash used in investing activities (2,007)  (1,752)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES   
Repayments of short-term borrowings (389)  (409)
Proceeds from short-term borrowings 370   383 
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt    498 
Tax withholdings on stock-based awards (390)  (292)
Repurchases of common stock (412)  (322)
Cash dividend payments (515)  (8,012)
Financing lease payments and other financing activities, net (98)  (96)
Net cash used in financing activities (1,434)  (8,250)
EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (117)  15 
Net change in cash and cash equivalents 2,450   (4,605)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS BEGINNING OF YEAR 9,906   13,700 
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS END OF PERIOD$12,356  $9,095 

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