Historical source-based research. Compilation date and financial period are different dates.

Executive summary

Annual revenue of USD 275.235 billion and net income of USD 8.099 billion for the period ended 2025-08-31. This is a structured data brief from filed financial statements, not an independently audited investment opinion.

Business and industry context

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW is an SEC-reporting issuer listed on NASDAQ under COST. Its SEC industry description is Retail-Variety Stores. This profile organizes annual financial disclosures for research; sector labels are editorial groupings, not GICS classifications. Retailers, consumer brands and service platforms balance demand, price, unit volume and operating costs.

Financial evidence

The selected fiscal period runs from 2024-09-02 to 2025-08-31. Revenue was USD 275.235 billion; operating income was USD 10.383 billion; diluted EPS was USD 18.21 per share. Prior-period revenue was USD 254.453 billion. The reported revenue change was 8.17%. Comparisons are not adjusted for acquisitions, disposals, foreign exchange or fiscal-week differences.

Profitability and cash generation

Net margin, calculated as net income divided by revenue, was 2.94%. Operating cash flow was USD 13.335 billion; capital expenditure was USD 5.498 billion. Free cash flow (operating cash flow less purchases of property, plant and equipment) was USD 7.837 billion. Missing standard tags are not interpreted as zero. These measures may not be directly comparable between business models.

Balance-sheet context

Total assets were USD 77.099 billion, total liabilities USD 47.935 billion and reported shareholder equity USD 29.164 billion at the period end. Total liabilities include operating obligations and are not a measure of interest-bearing debt.

Valuation context

Company profiles show eligible dated valuation ratios using the September 17, 2026 price snapshot and selected annual accounting denominators. Capitalization-based measures use estimates and are identified as such. These are not live, TTM or forward values. A historical-multiple series and EV/EBITDA are not available. Sector medians describe a selected sample; they do not establish fair value or expected returns.

Risks and uncertainties

Consumer affordability, input inflation, competitive promotions and discretionary demand. Standardized XBRL can omit custom-tag disclosures. Annual data cannot establish the direction of the latest quarter.

What to monitor

Unit volumes, comparable sales, inventory, pricing and operating leverage. Read subsequent quarterly filings, footnotes and accounting-policy changes before interpreting these historical observations.

Methodology note

Source snapshots were collected on September 18, 2026. Values preserve reported currency and periods. This brief was compiled on September 26, 2026; the publication date is not a new source retrieval date.

Sources & dates

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