Stock Analysis on Net
Stock Analysis on Net

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST)

Common-Size Income Statement 
Quarterly Data

Costco Wholesale Corp., common-size consolidated income statement (quarterly data)

Microsoft Excel
3 months ended: Nov 23, 2025 Aug 31, 2025 May 11, 2025 Feb 16, 2025 Nov 24, 2024 Sep 1, 2024 May 12, 2024 Feb 18, 2024 Nov 26, 2023 Sep 3, 2023 May 7, 2023 Feb 12, 2023 Nov 20, 2022 Aug 28, 2022 May 8, 2022 Feb 13, 2022 Nov 21, 2021 Aug 29, 2021 May 9, 2021 Feb 14, 2021 Nov 22, 2020 Aug 30, 2020 May 10, 2020 Feb 16, 2020 Nov 24, 2019
Net sales 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Merchandise costs -88.68 -88.87 -88.75 -89.15 -88.73 -89.00 -89.16 -89.20 -88.96 -89.40 -89.68 -89.28 -89.39 -89.82 -89.81 -89.36 -88.94 -89.08 -88.82 -89.04 -88.45 -88.76 -88.47 -89.02 -88.95
Gross margin 11.32% 11.13% 11.25% 10.85% 11.27% 11.00% 10.84% 10.80% 11.04% 10.60% 10.32% 10.72% 10.61% 10.18% 10.19% 10.64% 11.06% 10.92% 11.18% 10.96% 11.55% 11.24% 11.53% 10.98% 11.05%
Membership fees 2.01 2.04 2.00 1.91 1.91 1.93 1.96 1.94 1.91 1.95 1.98 1.89 1.87 1.88 1.91 1.90 1.91 2.01 2.03 2.01 2.03 2.12 2.24 2.13 2.22
Selling, general and administrative -9.60 -9.21 -9.16 -9.06 -9.59 -9.04 -8.96 -9.14 -9.45 -8.96 -9.11 -9.11 -9.20 -8.53 -8.62 -8.98 -9.55 -9.22 -9.46 -9.91 -10.20 -9.67 -10.53 -9.80 -10.34
Operating income 3.73% 3.96% 4.08% 3.70% 3.60% 3.89% 3.83% 3.60% 3.50% 3.59% 3.19% 3.51% 3.28% 3.53% 3.47% 3.56% 3.43% 3.70% 3.75% 3.05% 3.38% 3.69% 3.23% 3.31% 2.93%
Interest expense -0.05 -0.05 -0.06 -0.06 -0.06 -0.06 -0.07 -0.07 -0.07 -0.07 -0.07 -0.06 -0.06 -0.07 -0.07 -0.07 -0.08 -0.08 -0.09 -0.09 -0.09 -0.10 -0.10 -0.09 -0.10
Interest income and other, net 0.23 0.25 0.14 0.23 0.24 0.15 0.22 0.38 0.28 0.31 0.24 0.21 0.10 0.09 0.14 0.05 0.08 0.11 0.06 0.04 0.07 -0.02 0.06 0.12 0.10
Other income (expense) 0.18% 0.20% 0.08% 0.17% 0.18% 0.09% 0.15% 0.31% 0.22% 0.24% 0.17% 0.15% 0.04% 0.03% 0.07% -0.02% 0.01% 0.03% -0.03% -0.05% -0.02% -0.11% -0.04% 0.03% -0.01%
Income before income taxes 3.91% 4.16% 4.16% 3.87% 3.78% 3.98% 3.98% 3.90% 3.71% 3.83% 3.37% 3.66% 3.31% 3.56% 3.54% 3.54% 3.43% 3.73% 3.72% 3.01% 3.35% 3.58% 3.19% 3.34% 2.92%
Provision for income taxes -0.88 -1.07 -1.09 -1.01 -0.83 -0.97 -1.05 -0.86 -0.91 -1.04 -0.89 -0.95 -0.76 -0.90 -0.88 -0.94 -0.71 -0.97 -0.94 -0.79 -0.56 -0.89 -0.85 -0.86 -0.56
Net income including noncontrolling interests 3.03% 3.09% 3.07% 2.86% 2.95% 3.01% 2.93% 3.04% 2.80% 2.79% 2.48% 2.70% 2.55% 2.65% 2.66% 2.59% 2.72% 2.76% 2.78% 2.21% 2.79% 2.69% 2.34% 2.48% 2.36%
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.01 -0.04 -0.04 -0.04 -0.04 -0.03 -0.05 -0.04 -0.03 -0.04 -0.04 -0.03
Net income attributable to Costco 3.03% 3.09% 3.07% 2.86% 2.95% 3.01% 2.93% 3.04% 2.80% 2.79% 2.48% 2.70% 2.55% 2.64% 2.62% 2.55% 2.68% 2.72% 2.75% 2.17% 2.75% 2.66% 2.30% 2.43% 2.33%

Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-11-23), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-08-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-05-11), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-02-16), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-11-24), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-09-01), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-05-12), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-02-18), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-11-26), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-09-03), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-05-07), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-02-12), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-11-20), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-08-28), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-05-08), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-02-13), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-11-21), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-08-29), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-05-09), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-02-14), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-11-22), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-08-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-05-10), 10-Q (reporting date: 2020-02-16), 10-Q (reporting date: 2019-11-24).

Net Sales
Net sales remain stable as the baseline at 100% across all reported periods, serving as the reference point for other financial items.
Merchandise Costs
Merchandise costs consistently range close to -89% of net sales, showing minor fluctuations but overall maintaining a tight band between approximately -88.4% and -89.8%. This indicates the cost of goods sold has remained relatively steady relative to sales volume, with slight variations suggesting modest changes in procurement or pricing strategies.
Gross Margin
Gross margin shows moderate variation between roughly 10.2% and 11.5% of net sales, with some upward trends observed in recent periods. Despite fluctuations, gross margin has generally remained above 10%, reflecting consistent profitability after merchandise costs.
Membership Fees
Membership fees as a percentage of net sales exhibit a modest declining trend from above 2.2% in early periods to close to 1.9%-2.0% in more recent quarters, with a slight rebound thereafter. This could indicate changes in membership pricing, membership growth rates, or a shift in sales mix over time.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses (SG&A)
SG&A expenses consistently sit near the -9% to -10% range of net sales. A general decreasing trend is evident initially, with values dropping below -9% after early periods, which suggests improved operational efficiency or cost control efforts. However, these expenses rise modestly in the latter periods, indicating possible reinvestments or increases in indirect costs.
Operating Income
Operating income percentages fluctuate between a low of approximately 2.9% and a high exceeding 4.0% of net sales. The trend shows improvement in recent reported quarters with peaks around 4.0%, signifying enhanced operating performance driven by stable gross margins and controlled SG&A.
Interest Expense
Interest expense remains consistently low relative to net sales, generally around -0.05% to -0.1%, with a slight declining trend indicating potential reductions in debt levels or improvements in borrowing costs over time.
Interest Income and Other, Net
These items show volatility, mostly positive but with occasional negative values, ranging roughly from -0.02% to 0.38%. The higher positive contributions in later quarters suggest improved income from investments, financing activities, or other non-operating sources.
Other Income (Expense)
Other income or expense fluctuates around zero with some positive spikes in recent quarters, improving the overall income before tax performance.
Income Before Income Taxes
Income before taxes trends consistently between approximately 2.9% and 4.2% of net sales, with a general upward trajectory in later periods reflecting increased operating income and gains in net non-operating income.
Provision for Income Taxes
The effective tax provision varies significantly, mostly between -0.5% and -1.1%, showing irregular patterns that could be influenced by changes in statutory rates, tax credits, or one-time tax adjustments.
Net Income Including Noncontrolling Interests
Net income as a percentage of net sales shows a range approximately between 2.3% and 3.1%, with a gradual improving trend in the most recent quarters. This positive development correlates with operating income improvements and relatively stable tax costs.
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests is minimal, consistently around -0.01% to -0.05%, implying the majority of earnings are attributable to the primary company owners.
Net Income Attributable to Costco
This metric closely mirrors net income including noncontrolling interests, confirming consistent earnings attributable to the parent company. It reflects a sustained profitability level with a modest increasing trend, indicating steady financial health and operational effectiveness.