MW Costco's monthly sales are on a roll, thanks to surge in online orders

By Claudia Assis

Costco's same-store sales rise more than 6% in August

Customers at a Costco food court in Inglewood, Calif. Same-store sales reached 6.3%, compared with FactSet consensus of 6% growth.

Costco Wholesale Corp.'s August sales rose nearly 9% and same-store sales came in slightly ahead of Wall Street's expectations as the retail giant put to rest, at least for now, concerns about a slowdown in its business.

Costco $(COST)$ late Thursday reported net sales of $21.56 billion for August, an increase of 8.7% from $19.83 billion in August 2024.

Total same-store sales rose 6.3%, ahead of FactSet consensus of 6% growth. Online sales continue to outpace store sales, up 18.4% in August, the company said.

On a recorded line, Costco said its average transaction was up about 2.2%. U.S. regions with strongest same-store sales were the Midwest, Southeast and Northwest.

Fresh foods were among the top performers by category, up by mid- to high single digits, with better-performing departments including meat and produce.

Costco is slated to report quarterly earnings after the bell on Sept. 25. Analysts polled by FactSet expect the company to report earnings of $5.82 a share on sales of $85.97 billion. That would compare with earnings of $5.29 a share on sales of $79.70 billion in the year-ago quarter.

The stock has underperformed the broader stock market this year, gaining about 4%, compared with an advance of around 11% for the S&P 500 index SPX.

That underperformance is more apparent in the past three months, when the stock fell 9% versus a rise of nearly 8% for the S&P 500. Investors remain concerned about the health of the U.S. consumer amid tariff impacts and economic uncertainty.

In May, Costco detailed a plan to face tariffs, which included selling more under its own brand and rerouting shipments.

-Claudia Assis

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September 04, 2025 16:58 ET (20:58 GMT)

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