Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership warehouses and e-commerce sites, offering a limited selection of nationally-branded and private-label products at low prices to drive high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover. The company categorizes its offerings into core merchandise categories, which include foods and sundries, non-foods, and fresh foods. Additionally, Costco provides expanded products and services through warehouse ancillary operations, such as gasoline, pharmacy, optical, food court, hearing aids, and tire installation, as well as other businesses like e-commerce, business centers, and travel services .
- Foods and Sundries - Offers a wide range of grocery items, including packaged foods, beverages, and household essentials.
- Non-Foods - Provides a variety of products such as electronics, apparel, and home goods.
- Warehouse Ancillary and Other Businesses - Includes services like gasoline, pharmacy, optical, food court, hearing aids, tire installation, e-commerce, business centers, and travel services.
- Fresh Foods - Sells perishable items including meat, produce, and bakery products.
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| Name | Position | External Roles | Short Bio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ron M. Vachris ExecutiveBoard | President and CEO | None | Ron M. Vachris has been with Costco for over 28 years, holding various management and executive roles. He became CEO on January 1, 2024, and has been a director since February 2022. | View Report → |
Caton Frates Executive | EVP, COO, Southwest Division | None | Caton Frates has been with Costco for over 25 years and became EVP, COO, Southwest Division, in 2022. He previously served as SVP, Los Angeles Region. | |
Claudine E. Adamo Executive | EVP, Merchandising | None | Claudine E. Adamo has been an executive officer since 2022. She previously served as SVP, Non-Foods, and VP, Non-Foods. | |
Gary Millerchip Executive | EVP, Chief Financial Officer | None | Gary Millerchip joined Costco in February 2024 as EVP and became CFO on March 15, 2024. Previously, he was CFO at Kroger and CEO of Kroger Personal Finance. | |
Javier Polit Executive | EVP, Chief Information and Digital Officer | None | Javier Polit joined Costco in 2023. He previously held CIO roles at Mondelez, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola. | |
Jim C. Klauer Executive | EVP, COO, Northern Division | None | Jim C. Klauer has been EVP, COO, Northern Division, since 2018. He previously served as SVP, Non-Foods and E-commerce Merchandise. | |
John Sullivan Executive | EVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | None | John Sullivan has been General Counsel since 2016 and Corporate Secretary since 2010. He has been with Costco for over 22 years. | |
Patrick J. Callans Executive | EVP, Administration | None | Patrick J. Callans has been EVP, Administration, since 2019. He previously served as SVP, Human Resources and Risk Management. | |
Pierre Riel Executive | EVP, COO, International Division | None | Pierre Riel became EVP, COO, International Division, in 2022. He previously served as SVP, Country Manager, Canada, and SVP, Eastern Canada Region. | |
Russ D. Miller Executive | SEVP, U.S. Operations | None | Russ D. Miller has been with Costco for over 25 years and became SEVP, U.S. Operations, in May 2022. He previously served as EVP, COO, Southwest Division and Mexico. | |
Teresa Jones Executive | EVP, Global Depots and Traffic | None | Teresa Jones was promoted to EVP, Global Depots and Traffic, in 2024. She previously served as SVP and VP of Depot Operations. | |
Yoram B. Rubanenko Executive | EVP, COO, Eastern Division | None | Yoram B. Rubanenko has been EVP, COO, Eastern Division, since 2021. He previously served as SVP and General Manager, Southeast Region. | |
Hamilton E. James Board | Chairman of the Board | Chairman of Jefferson River Capital | Hamilton E. James has been a director since 1988 and became Chairman of the Board in 2017. He is also Chairman of Jefferson River Capital and previously served as Executive Vice Chairman of Blackstone. | |
Helena B. Foulkes Board | Director | Board Member at Skillsoft, Follett Higher Education, PM Pediatrics Care, Harry's Inc. | Helena B. Foulkes joined the board in 2023. She is a former CEO of Hudson's Bay Company and held senior roles at CVS Health. | |
Jeffrey S. Raikes Board | Director | Co-founder of Raikes Foundation | Jeffrey S. Raikes has been a director since 2008. He is the co-founder of the Raikes Foundation and a former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. | |
John W. Stanton Board | Director | Chairman of Trilogy International Partners, Trilogy Equity Partners, and First Avenue Entertainment | John W. Stanton has been a director since 2015. He is also the Chairman of Trilogy International Partners, Trilogy Equity Partners, and First Avenue Entertainment (owner of the Seattle Mariners). | |
Kenneth D. Denman Board | Director | General Partner at Sway Ventures; Board Member at VMware and Motorola Solutions | Kenneth D. Denman has been a director since 2017. He is a General Partner at Sway Ventures and serves on the boards of VMware and Motorola Solutions. | |
Maggie Wilderotter Board | Director | Chairman of DocuSign; Board Member at Sana Biotechnology, Fortinet, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Tanium | Maggie Wilderotter has been a director since 2015. She is the Chairman of DocuSign and serves on multiple boards, including Sana Biotechnology and Fortinet. | |
Sally Jewell Board | Director | Global Board Member at The Nature Conservancy; Chair of the Board at Symetra Financial | Sally Jewell has been a director since 2020. She is a former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and CEO of REI. | |
Susan L. Decker Board | Director | CEO of Raftr, Inc.; Board Member at Berkshire Hathaway, Vail Resorts, Vox Media, Automattic, Chime Financial | Susan L. Decker has been a director since 2004. She is the CEO of Raftr, Inc., and serves on multiple boards, including Berkshire Hathaway and Vail Resorts. | |
Richard A. Galanti | Retired (Former CFO) | None | Richard A. Galanti retired as CFO on March 15, 2024, and fully retired from Costco on January 30, 2025, after serving as CFO for over 30 years. |
- With only 26 net new warehouses planned for fiscal 2025 and a shift towards international expansion, can you elaborate on the reasons behind the slowdown in U.S. warehouse growth and how this might impact your market share in the domestic market?
- Given that e-commerce continues to be marginally less profitable than traditional in-warehouse shopping, how do you plan to address the profitability gap as digital sales grow, and what specific measures are you taking to improve e-commerce margins?
- While you have expressed a desire to drive greater SG&A leverage, how do you reconcile this with the ongoing investments in employee wages, and what steps are you taking to ensure that margin pressures do not adversely affect profitability?
- Considering the potential disruptions from port strikes and fluctuations in ocean freight rates, what contingency plans are in place to mitigate supply chain risks, and how might these challenges influence your inventory levels and margin outlook?
- In light of increasing promotional activity and investments in pricing by competitors in the grocery sector, how do you plan to maintain your pricing advantage without compromising margins, and are there specific areas where you see heightened competitive pressures?
Research analysts who have asked questions during COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP /NEW earnings calls.
Christopher Horvers
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
8 questions for COST
John Heinbockel
Guggenheim Partners
8 questions for COST
Kelly Bania
BMO Capital Markets
8 questions for COST
Rupesh Parikh
Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.
8 questions for COST
Simeon Gutman
Morgan Stanley
8 questions for COST
Michael Lasser
UBS
7 questions for COST
Zhihan Ma
Bernstein
7 questions for COST
Peter Benedict
Robert W. Baird & Co.
6 questions for COST
Chuck Grom
Gordon Haskett Research Advisors
5 questions for COST
Edward Kelly
Wells Fargo
5 questions for COST
Greg Melich
Evercore ISI
5 questions for COST
Oliver Chen
TD Cowen
5 questions for COST
Scot Ciccarelli
Truist Securities
5 questions for COST
Charles Grom
Gordon Haskett Research Advisors
3 questions for COST
Gregory Melich
Evercore ISI
3 questions for COST
Steven Zaccone
Citigroup
3 questions for COST
Karen Short
Melius Research
2 questions for COST
Kate McShane
Goldman Sachs
2 questions for COST
Michael Baker
D.A. Davidson & Co.
2 questions for COST
Robert Ohmes
Bank of America
2 questions for COST
Shervin Zand
Truist Securities
2 questions for COST
Brandon Cheatham
Citigroup
1 question for COST
Charles Cerankosky
Northcoast Research
1 question for COST
Corey Tarlowe
Jefferies
1 question for COST
Joseph Feldman
Telsey Advisory Group
1 question for COST
Laura Champine
Loop Capital Markets LLC
1 question for COST
Scott Mushkin
R5 Capital
1 question for COST
Competitors mentioned in the company's latest 10K filing.
| Company | Description |
|---|---|
Among the significant general merchandise retail competitors in the U.S.. | |
Among the significant general merchandise retail competitors in the U.S.. | |
Among the significant general merchandise retail competitors in the U.S.. | |
Among the significant general merchandise retail competitors in the U.S.. | |
Sam's Club | A competing warehouse club operated by Walmart in the U.S.. |
A competing warehouse club in the U.S.. |
Recent press releases and 8-K filings for COST.
- Net sales rose 8% year-over-year to $26.58 billion over the five-week September–October period, driven by strong U.S. and Canadian traffic and an 8.5% rise in international sales.
- Digital sales jumped 26.1%, reflecting new member perks such as extra shopping hours and Instacart deals.
- Operating margin expanded to 3.77%, up from 3.09%, indicating improved profitability.
- Shares climbed 3% following the sales update, though the stock’s gain over the past year remains modest at around 0.6% amid investor scrutiny of growth prospects.
- Net sales increased 8% to $26.58 billion in the five-week period ending October 5, 2025, versus $24.62 billion last year.
- Total company comparable sales rose 5.7%, with the US at +5.1%, Canada +6.3%, other international +8.5%, and digitally enabled sales +26.1%.
- Comparable sales excluding gas and FX impacts climbed 6.0%, and digitally enabled comps increased 26.3%.
- Worldwide comp traffic was up 2.1% (US +1.4%); FX unfavorably impacted total comps by 0.2% and gas deflation by less than 10 bps.
- AXIL Brands posted 1Q26 net sales of $6.9 million, a 17.2% increase year-over-year.
- Gross profit margin was 67.6%, and operating income improved to $0.4 million (6.0% of revenue) versus an operating loss in the prior year.
- Net income was $0.3 million, with basic and diluted EPS of $0.05 and $0.04, compared to a net loss and loss per share of $0.02 in 1Q25.
- Adjusted EBITDA rose to $0.7 million (9.8% of sales) from $0.2 million, and cash on hand stood at $4.1 million as of August 31, 2025.
- The company expanded its AXIL® hearing products into Costco and launched the Reviv3 Procare line in Chatters salons in Canada.
- Record FY net income of $8.10 billion, with Q4 net income of $2.61 billion, up from $2.35 billion a year ago
- Q4 revenue of $86.2 billion, an 8% year-over-year increase, and EPS of $5.87
- Extended executive membership ($120 fee with early access and 2% cash back) drove a 1% boost in U.S. weekly sales and higher membership upgrades
- Operates 914 warehouses globally and is expanding e-commerce in eight markets while keeping inflation in a low-to-mid single-digit range
- Delivered $84.4 B in net sales, up 8.0%, with 5.7% comparable sales growth in Q4 FY2025.
- Net income rose 10.9% to $2.61 B, and diluted EPS increased 11.0% to $5.87.
- Paid memberships reached 81.0 MM, up 6.3%, and membership income grew 14.0%.
- E-commerce comparable sales climbed 13.6%, driven by a 27% increase in site traffic.
- Net sales reached $84.4 billion, up 8.0%, with comparable sales +5.7% and adjusted comparable sales +6.4% year-over-year.
- Net income was $2.61 billion, a 10.9% increase, and diluted EPS rose 11.0% to $5.87.
- Membership income grew 14.0%, with 81.0 million paid memberships (+6.3%) and a worldwide renewal rate of 89.8%.
- E-commerce comparable sales surged 13.6%, driven by a 27% increase in site traffic.
- Net income of $2.61 billion ($5.87 EPS), up 11% year-over-year (14% excluding a $63 million tax benefit) for Q4 FY2025.
- Q4 net sales of $84.43 billion, up 8% YoY; full-year net sales just under $270 billion, up over 8%, with e-commerce revenue exceeding $19.6 billion (+15%).
- Membership base grew to 81 million paid members (+6.3% YoY), including 38.7 million Executive members (+9.3%), with renewal rates of 92.3% in U.S./Canada and 89.8% worldwide.
- Gross margin rose to 11.13% (+13 bps YoY) and SG&A was 9.21% of sales (+17 bps), reflecting wage investments and LIFO charges.
- Q4 CapEx of $1.97 billion (FY2025: ~$5.5 billion) supported 27 warehouse openings (24 net), bringing the total to 914, and 35 new openings planned for FY2026.
- Net sales for Q4 were $84.4 billion, up 8.0% year-over-year; fiscal year sales were $269.9 billion, up 8.1%.
- Q4 net income was $2.610 billion ($5.87 diluted EPS), compared to $2.354 billion ($5.29 EPS) last year; FY net income was $8.099 billion ($18.21 EPS) versus $7.367 billion ($16.56).
- Total company comparable sales for Q4 rose 5.7% (adjusted 6.4%), with e-commerce compsales up 13.6%.
- Worldwide paid memberships reached 81.0 million, growing 6.3%, with an 89.8% renewal rate.
- Costco operated 914 warehouses at the end of FY2025, up from 890 a year earlier.
- Net sales reached $20.97 billion, up 6.8% compared to last year's $19.64 billion.
- Reported comparable sales showed U.S. gains of 4.1%, along with notable performance in Canada, other international markets, and e-commerce.
- The update highlighted impacts from foreign exchange and gas price changes along with positive category performance in foods, sundries, and fresh items.
- Net sales of $20.97 billion, up 6.8% year-over-year in May 2025
- Year-to-date net sales of $201.02 billion, an 8% increase, with a total of 905 warehouses worldwide
- Stock price rose 1.60% to $1,056.85 following the results
- Company included forward-looking statements and a pre-recorded investor message available until June 11, 2025