Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Earnings Preview: Key Metrics and Analyst Expectations

Font: Financial Modeling Prep  • May 27, 2026

• Analysts project significant year-over-year growth for Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST), with revenue expected to increase by 9.7% and earnings by 14.7%.
• Investors will closely monitor key operational metrics such as comparable sales growth (projected at 6.7%), customer traffic, profit margins, and membership renewal rates.
• Despite a year-to-date stock increase of over 16% and a high Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio of 52.14, the options market anticipates a notable post-earnings price swing ranging from 3% to 4.4%.

Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) is a membership-based warehouse club that sells a wide variety of goods. It competes with other retailers like Walmart's Sam's Club. The company is set to release its quarterly earnings report on May 28, 2026, after the market closes, an event closely watched by investors.

For the upcoming quarter, Wall Street analysts estimate an earnings per share (EPS) of $4.98 on revenue of $69.68 billion. This aligns with other forecasts, which project revenue between $69.50 billion and $69.70 billion. These figures would represent significant year-over-year growth of 9.7% for revenue and 14.7% for earnings.

Investors will also focus on comparable sales growth, which is expected to be around 6.7%. Key metrics like customer traffic, profit margins, and membership renewal rates are also under scrutiny. These numbers provide deeper insight into Costco's operational health beyond just headline sales figures.

Year-to-date, Costco's stock is up over 16%, though it has pulled back from its recent record high of $1,096.50. The options market is pricing in a notable post-earnings price swing. Projections range from 3%, as highlighted by Investopedia, to 4.4%, which is more than double its average move in recent quarters.

The company currently has a Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio of 52.14. This ratio shows how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of Costco's earnings. The company also maintains a low Debt-to-Equity ratio of 0.26, indicating it has significantly more equity than debt on its balance sheet.