Costco Q4 2026 Earnings: Sales Growth, Comparable Sales, and EPS
Costco Q4 2026 earnings showed 11.2% net sales growth. Learn what adjusted comparable sales, the 16-week quarter, and a one-time EPS benefit add.
Costco Q4 2026 earnings showed net sales up 11.2% from the year-earlier quarter. The release also reports adjusted comparable-sales growth of 6.7% and says diluted earnings per share included a one-time benefit from tariff refunds. Those measures need separate labels.
Data through: Costco's earnings release dated September 24, 2026, covering its 16-week fourth quarter and 52-week fiscal year ended August 30. The company scheduled its results call for 2:00 p.m. Pacific that day. Article date: September 26, 2026. No current share-price data is included. See the company's published results.
Costco Q4 2026 earnings at a glance
| Measure | Fiscal Q4 2026 result | What to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Net sales | $93.9 billion, up 11.2% | Total merchandise sales for the 16-week quarter |
| Total revenue | $95.7 billion | Includes net sales and membership fees |
| Comparable sales | Up 9.4%; up 6.7% adjusted | The adjusted figure excludes gasoline-price and foreign-exchange changes |
| Diluted earnings per share | $6.75, compared with $5.87 | Costco said a one-time refund benefit added $0.15 per share |
| Membership fees | $1.85 billion | A separate revenue line from merchandise sales |
| Fiscal-year net sales | $297.2 billion, up 10.1% | Covers the 52-week fiscal year |
The figures are rounded from Costco's release. Its comparable-sales table also breaks out U.S., Canadian, international, and digitally enabled sales. The adjusted total-company figure was 6.7%, compared with 9.4% before those adjustments.
Costco's income statement lists $95.7 billion in total revenue, including $93.9 billion in net sales and $1.85 billion in membership fees. If one report says "revenue" and another says "sales," check the exact line being discussed; the figures are related but not interchangeable.
Why were comparable sales below net sales growth?
They measure different things. Net sales are the dollars Costco recorded from selling merchandise during the quarter. Comparable sales follow the company's defined comparison across qualifying operations. Costco's adjusted figure removes the effects of gasoline-price changes and foreign exchange.
That is why 11.2% net-sales growth and 6.7% adjusted comparable-sales growth can both be accurate. They use different bases. Neither figure describes every store, country, or product category.
The report gives the adjusted number, but it does not mean that every store, country, or product category grew at that rate. The regional table shows different results: adjusted U.S. comparable sales rose 7.2%, Canada rose 4.6%, and other international markets rose 6.2%.
Check the 16-week quarter before comparing results
Costco's fiscal fourth quarter covered 16 weeks. The comparison in its release is also a 16-week period, ended August 31, 2025. Its full fiscal 2026 year covered 52 weeks.
That calendar detail matters when comparing Costco with a retailer whose quarter covers 13 weeks, or when comparing the quarter with Costco's own earlier reports. A 16-week period contains three more weeks of activity than a typical 13-week quarter. The year-over-year comparison in this release is matched by length, but the raw quarterly sales totals are not directly comparable with a 13-week period without accounting for the dates covered.
What does the EPS increase leave out?
Costco reported diluted EPS of $6.75, up from $5.87 a year earlier. The company also disclosed that the current quarter benefited by $0.15 per diluted share from tariff refunds, after partial reinvestment in member value.
Costco's release does not provide an adjusted EPS that removes only this refund. Do not subtract the $0.15 and label the result company-reported adjusted EPS; that would add an assumption to the reported figure. The reported increase alone also does not describe every part of the quarter's performance.
How to use an earnings report in a stock comparison
An earnings release records a company's results for a past reporting period. A historical price chart shows how shares moved over selected dates. Neither measure forecasts the next quarter or share-price move.
If you want to inspect COST's historical price path, the stock explorer and stock comparison page let you set a date window and compare it with another symbol. Keep the dates and price basis consistent. Equity Replay uses historical closing-price movement; it does not include dividends, fees, taxes, trades, or brokerage cash flows. A replay is an educational simulation, not an account statement or an evaluation of Costco's current value.
For another practical guide, see how to compare two stocks over time. It explains how to align dates, price basis, and starting value before comparing historical paths.
Equity Replay is an educational historical portfolio simulator, not a broker, investment adviser, or record of trades. This article is general information, not investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security.
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