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Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST)
Analysis of Operating Leases
Difficulty: Advanced
An operating lease is treated like a rental contract. Neither the leased asset nor the associated liability is reported on the lessee balance sheet, but the rights may be very similar to the rights of an owner. The lessee only records the lease payments as a rental expense in income statement.
Operating Leases Accounting Policy
Costco leases land and/or buildings at warehouses and certain other office and distribution facilities, primarily under operating leases. Operating leases expire at various dates through 2068, with the exception of one lease in the U.K., which expires in 2151. These leases generally contain one or more of the following options, which Costco can exercise at the end of the initial lease term: (a) renewal for a defined number of years at the then-fair market rental rate or rate stipulated in the lease agreement; (b) purchase of the property at the then-fair market value; or (c) right of first refusal in the event of a third-party purchase offer.
Costco accounts for its lease expense with free rent periods and step-rent provisions on a straight-line basis over the original term of the lease and any extension options that Costco more likely than not expects to exercise, from the date Costco has control of the property. Certain leases provide for periodic rental increases based on price indices, or the greater of minimum guaranteed amounts or sales volume.
Costco has capital leases for certain warehouse locations, expiring at various dates through 2059. Capital lease assets are included in land and buildings and improvements in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Amortization expense on capital lease assets is recorded as depreciation expense and is included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Capital lease liabilities are recorded at the lesser of the estimated fair market value of the leased property or the net present value of the aggregate future minimum lease payments and are included in other current liabilities and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Interest on these obligations is included in interest expense in the consolidated statements of income.
Costco records an asset and related financing obligation for the estimated construction costs under build-to-suit lease arrangements where it is considered the owner for accounting purposes, to the extent Costco is involved in the construction of the building or structural improvements or has construction risk prior to commencement of a lease. Upon occupancy, Costco assesses whether these arrangements qualify for sales recognition under the sale-leaseback accounting guidance. If Costco continues to be the deemed owner, it accounts for the arrangement as a financing lease.
Costco’s asset retirement obligations (ARO) primarily relate to leasehold improvements that at the end of a lease must be removed. These obligations are generally recorded as a discounted liability with an offsetting asset at the inception of the lease term based upon the estimated fair value of the costs to remove the improvements. These liabilities are accreted over time to the projected future value of the obligation. The ARO assets are depreciated using the same depreciation method as the leasehold improvement assets and are included with buildings and improvements. Estimated ARO liabilities associated with these leases were immaterial at the end of 2019 and 2018, respectively, and are included in other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
Source: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11).
Present Value of Future Operating Lease Payments (before Adoption of FASB Topic 842)
Costco Wholesale Corp., future operating lease payments (before adoption of FASB Topic 842)
US$ in millions
| Sep 1, 2019 | Sep 2, 2018 | Sep 3, 2017 | Aug 28, 2016 | Aug 30, 2015 | Aug 31, 2014 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total undiscounted future operating lease payments | |
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| Discount rate1 | |
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| Total present value of future operating lease payments | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11), 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26), 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18), 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12), 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14), 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
1 Internal rate of return on capital leases
| Year | Future operating lease payments (as reported) | Year | Future operating lease payments (estimated) | Present value at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | |
2020 | |
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| 2021 | |
2021 | |
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| 2022 | |
2022 | |
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| 2023 | |
2023 | |
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| 2024 | |
2024 | |
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| 2025 and thereafter | |
2025 | |
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| 2026 | |
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| 2027 | |
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| 2028 | |
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| 2029 | |
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| 2030 | |
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| 2031 | |
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| 2032 | |
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| 2033 | |
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| 2034 | |
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| 2035 | |
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| 2036 | |
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| 2037 | |
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| Total: | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11).
| Year | Future operating lease payments (as reported) | Year | Future operating lease payments (estimated) | Present value at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | |
2019 | |
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| 2020 | |
2020 | |
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| 2021 | |
2021 | |
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| 2022 | |
2022 | |
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| 2023 | |
2023 | |
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| 2024 and thereafter | |
2024 | |
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| 2025 | |
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| 2026 | |
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| 2027 | |
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| 2028 | |
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| 2029 | |
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| 2030 | |
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| 2031 | |
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| 2032 | |
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| 2033 | |
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| 2034 | |
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| 2035 | |
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| 2036 | |
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| Total: | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26).
| Year | Future operating lease payments (as reported) | Year | Future operating lease payments (estimated) | Present value at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | |
2018 | |
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| 2019 | |
2019 | |
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| 2020 | |
2020 | |
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| 2021 | |
2021 | |
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| 2022 | |
2022 | |
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| 2023 and thereafter | |
2023 | |
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| 2024 | |
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| 2025 | |
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| 2026 | |
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| 2027 | |
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| 2028 | |
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| 2029 | |
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| 2030 | |
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| 2031 | |
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| 2032 | |
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| 2033 | |
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| 2034 | |
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| 2035 | |
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| Total: | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18).
| Year | Future operating lease payments (as reported) | Year | Future operating lease payments (estimated) | Present value at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | |
2017 | |
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| 2018 | |
2018 | |
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| 2019 | |
2019 | |
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| 2020 | |
2020 | |
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| 2021 | |
2021 | |
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| 2022 and thereafter | |
2022 | |
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| 2023 | |
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| 2024 | |
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| 2025 | |
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| 2026 | |
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| 2027 | |
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| 2028 | |
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| 2029 | |
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| 2030 | |
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| 2031 | |
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| 2032 | |
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| 2033 | |
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| 2034 | |
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| 2035 | |
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| Total: | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12).
| Year | Future operating lease payments (as reported) | Year | Future operating lease payments (estimated) | Present value at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | |
2016 | |
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| 2017 | |
2017 | |
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| 2018 | |
2018 | |
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| 2019 | |
2019 | |
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| 2020 | |
2020 | |
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| 2021 and thereafter | |
2021 | |
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| 2022 | |
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| 2023 | |
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| 2024 | |
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| 2025 | |
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| 2026 | |
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| 2027 | |
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| 2028 | |
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| 2029 | |
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| 2030 | |
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| 2031 | |
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| 2032 | |
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| 2033 | |
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| 2034 | |
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| Total: | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14).
| Year | Future operating lease payments (as reported) | Year | Future operating lease payments (estimated) | Present value at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | |
2015 | |
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| 2016 | |
2016 | |
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| 2017 | |
2017 | |
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| 2018 | |
2018 | |
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| 2019 | |
2019 | |
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| 2020 and thereafter | |
2020 | |
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| 2021 | |
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| 2022 | |
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| 2023 | |
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| 2024 | |
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| 2025 | |
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| 2026 | |
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| 2027 | |
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| 2028 | |
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| 2029 | |
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| 2030 | |
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| 2031 | |
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| 2032 | |
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| Total: | |
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Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
Analyst Adjustments for Operating Leases
Costco Wholesale Corp., adjustments to financial data
US$ in millions
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11), 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26), 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18), 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12), 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14), 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
1, 2 Equal to total present value of future operating lease payments.
Costco Wholesale Corp., Financial Data: Reported vs. Adjusted
Adjusted Ratios for Operating Leases (Summary)
Costco Wholesale Corp., adjusted ratios
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11), 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26), 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18), 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12), 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14), 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted total asset turnover | An activity ratio calculated as total revenue divided by adjusted total assets. | Costco Wholesale Corp.’s adjusted total asset turnover deteriorated from 2017 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2019. |
| Adjusted debt-to-equity | A solvency ratio calculated as adjusted total debt divided by total shareholders’ equity. | Costco Wholesale Corp.’s adjusted debt-to-equity improved from 2017 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2019. |
| Adjusted ROA | A profitability ratio calculated as net income divided by adjusted total assets. | Costco Wholesale Corp.’s adjusted ROA improved from 2017 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2019. |
Costco Wholesale Corp., Ratios: Reported vs. Adjusted
Adjusted Total Asset Turnover
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11), 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26), 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18), 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12), 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14), 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
2019 Calculations
1 Total asset turnover = Net sales ÷ Total assets
= ÷ =
2 Adjusted total asset turnover = Net sales ÷ Adjusted total assets
= ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted total asset turnover | An activity ratio calculated as total revenue divided by adjusted total assets. | Costco Wholesale Corp.’s adjusted total asset turnover deteriorated from 2017 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2019. |
Adjusted Debt to Equity
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11), 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26), 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18), 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12), 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14), 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
2019 Calculations
1 Debt to equity = Total debt ÷ Total Costco stockholders’ equity
= ÷ =
2 Adjusted debt to equity = Adjusted total debt ÷ Total Costco stockholders’ equity
= ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted debt-to-equity | A solvency ratio calculated as adjusted total debt divided by total shareholders’ equity. | Costco Wholesale Corp.’s adjusted debt-to-equity improved from 2017 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2019. |
Adjusted Return on Assets (ROA)
Based on: 10-K (filing date: 2019-10-11), 10-K (filing date: 2018-10-26), 10-K (filing date: 2017-10-18), 10-K (filing date: 2016-10-12), 10-K (filing date: 2015-10-14), 10-K (filing date: 2014-10-15).
2019 Calculations
1 ROA = 100 × Net income attributable to Costco ÷ Total assets
= 100 × ÷ =
2 Adjusted ROA = 100 × Net income attributable to Costco ÷ Adjusted total assets
= 100 × ÷ =
| Ratio | Description | The company |
|---|---|---|
| Adjusted ROA | A profitability ratio calculated as net income divided by adjusted total assets. | Costco Wholesale Corp.’s adjusted ROA improved from 2017 to 2018 and from 2018 to 2019. |