Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Quarterly Data

The balance sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company resources (assets) and its sources of capital (its equity and liabilities). It normally also provides information about the future earnings capacity of a company assets as well as an indication of cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.

Liabilities represents obligations of a company arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow of economic benefits from the entity.

Costco Wholesale Corp., consolidated balance sheet: liabilities and stockholders’ equity (quarterly data)

US$ in millions

	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
Accounts payable	23,513)	19,783)	19,820)	18,610)	21,793)	19,421)	18,844)	17,494)	20,357)	17,483)	16,853)	16,407)	18,348)	17,848)	17,651)	17,089)	19,561)	16,278)	15,538)	14,383)	17,014)	14,172)	10,813)	11,072)	14,440)
Accrued salaries and benefits	5,172)	5,205)	4,813)	5,150)	4,785)	4,794)	4,365)	4,801)	4,474)	4,278)	4,117)	4,483)	4,317)	4,381)	4,090)	4,347)	3,985)	4,090)	3,826)	4,132)	3,586)	3,605)	3,246)	3,415)	3,159)
Accrued member rewards	2,712)	2,677)	2,583)	2,491)	2,444)	2,435)	2,339)	2,268)	2,207)	2,150)	2,076)	2,016)	1,959)	1,911)	1,828)	1,798)	1,726)	1,671)	1,617)	1,541)	1,451)	1,393)	1,331)	1,243)	1,193)
Deferred membership fees	2,990)	2,854)	2,931)	2,824)	2,683)	2,501)	2,553)	2,541)	2,462)	2,337)	2,436)	2,412)	2,322)	2,174)	2,251)	2,244)	2,192)	2,042)	2,102)	2,048)	1,985)	1,851)	1,832)	1,865)	1,817)
Other current liabilities	7,418)	6,589)	7,432)	7,924)	6,584)	6,313)	7,260)	7,584)	7,268)	7,335)	6,226)	7,198)	6,121)	5,684)	6,025)	6,067)	5,878)	5,360)	4,899)	4,460)	8,631)	3,823)	5,557)	5,100)	5,656)
Current liabilities	41,805)	37,108)	37,579)	36,999)	38,289)	35,464)	35,361)	34,688)	36,768)	33,583)	31,708)	32,516)	33,067)	31,998)	31,845)	31,545)	33,342)	29,441)	27,982)	26,564)	32,667)	24,844)	22,779)	22,695)	26,265)
Long-term debt, excluding current portion	5,666)	5,713)	5,717)	5,755)	5,745)	5,794)	5,834)	5,865)	5,866)	5,377)	6,497)	6,506)	6,472)	6,484)	6,507)	6,658)	6,667)	6,692)	7,495)	7,522)	7,529)	7,514)	7,598)	5,099)	5,107)
Long-term operating lease liabilities	2,436)	2,460)	2,463)	2,284)	2,288)	2,375)	2,386)	2,488)	2,401)	2,426)	2,507)	2,557)	2,503)	2,482)	2,452)	2,588)	2,649)	2,642)	2,641)	2,651)	2,574)	2,558)	2,535)	2,446)	2,442)
Other long-term liabilities	2,580)	2,654)	2,598)	2,609)	2,613)	2,576)	2,559)	2,522)	2,541)	2,550)	2,467)	2,470)	2,509)	2,555)	2,535)	2,311)	2,491)	2,415)	2,182)	2,052)	2,138)	1,935)	1,617)	1,543)	1,393)
Other liabilities	10,682)	10,827)	10,778)	10,648)	10,646)	10,745)	10,779)	10,875)	10,808)	10,353)	11,471)	11,533)	11,484)	11,521)	11,494)	11,557)	11,807)	11,749)	12,318)	12,225)	12,241)	12,007)	11,750)	9,088)	8,942)
Total liabilities	52,487)	47,935)	48,357)	47,647)	48,935)	46,209)	46,140)	45,563)	47,576)	43,936)	43,179)	44,049)	44,551)	43,519)	43,339)	43,102)	45,149)	41,190)	40,300)	38,789)	44,908)	36,851)	34,529)	31,783)	35,207)
Preferred stock $.005 par value; no shares issued and outstanding	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)
Common stock $.005 par value	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	2)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)
Additional paid-in capital	8,408)	8,282)	8,148)	8,047)	7,901)	7,829)	7,702)	7,620)	7,489)	7,340)	7,211)	7,123)	6,982)	6,884)	7,272)	7,186)	7,064)	7,031)	6,921)	6,843)	6,725)	6,698)	6,593)	6,506)	6,391)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(1,976)	(1,770)	(1,915)	(2,242)	(2,152)	(1,828)	(1,922)	(1,842)	(1,843)	(1,805)	(1,680)	(1,672)	(1,925)	(1,829)	(1,602)	(1,246)	(1,211)	(1,137)	(909)	(961)	(1,101)	(1,297)	(1,678)	(1,280)	(1,321)
Retained earnings	23,869)	22,650)	20,890)	19,770)	18,700)	17,619)	15,989)	14,980)	20,499)	19,521)	18,035)	17,341)	16,412)	15,585)	14,294)	13,474)	12,606)	11,666)	10,466)	9,766)	9,232)	12,879)	11,883)	11,384)	10,787)
Total Costco stockholders’ equity	30,303)	29,164)	27,125)	25,577)	24,451)	23,622)	21,771)	20,760)	26,147)	25,058)	23,568)	22,794)	21,471)	20,642)	19,968)	19,418)	18,463)	17,564)	16,482)	15,652)	14,860)	18,284)	16,802)	16,614)	15,861)
Noncontrolling interests	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	5)	5)	5)	5)	545)	558)	537)	514)	492)	477)	449)	421)	401)	385)	363)
Total equity	30,303)	29,164)	27,125)	25,577)	24,451)	23,622)	21,771)	20,760)	26,147)	25,058)	23,573)	22,799)	21,476)	20,647)	20,513)	19,976)	19,000)	18,078)	16,974)	16,129)	15,309)	18,705)	17,203)	16,999)	16,224)
Total liabilities and equity	82,790)	77,099)	75,482)	73,224)	73,386)	69,831)	67,911)	66,323)	73,723)	68,994)	66,752)	66,848)	66,027)	64,166)	63,852)	63,078)	64,149)	59,268)	57,274)	54,918)	60,217)	55,556)	51,732)	48,782)	51,431)

The analysis of financial liabilities and equity over the periods indicates several notable trends and fluctuations.

Accounts Payable: Accounts payable exhibit significant volatility, with sharp increases during specific quarters, notably from late 2023 onward, reaching a peak towards the end of the data set. This suggests increasing short-term obligations or possibly higher procurement activities.
Accrued Salaries and Benefits: This liability generally trends upward over the periods, reflecting rising employee-related obligations. Despite minor fluctuations, the overall increase may indicate wage growth or expansion in workforce size.
Accrued Member Rewards: There is a consistent and steady increase in accrued member rewards, which reflects a growing liability relating to customer loyalty programs, potentially due to higher membership engagement or increased marketing incentives.
Deferred Membership Fees: Deferred membership fees show a gradual upward trend with some minor quarter-to-quarter variations, indicating steady membership revenue recognition over time.
Other Current Liabilities: These liabilities show considerable fluctuation. During some early periods, there are notable spikes, followed by periods of decline; however, the liability seems to stabilize in the latter half, suggesting changes in miscellaneous obligations.
Current Liabilities: Total current liabilities have marked variability with an upward trend seen around late 2023 and into 2025, which could indicate increased operational liabilities or seasonal factors affecting short-term financial obligations.
Long-Term Debt (Excluding Current Portion): This category remains relatively stable, experiencing a slight general decrease over the timeline, reflecting possible debt repayments or refinancing activities aimed at reducing long-term leverage.
Long-Term Operating Lease Liabilities: Lease liabilities remain largely stable with minor fluctuations, indicating consistent lease commitments without substantial new lease arrangements or terminations over time.
Other Long-Term Liabilities: These liabilities experience moderate growth with minor dips but maintain a generally increasing pattern, suggesting an accumulation of various long-term obligations possibly linked to deferred expenses or deferred tax liabilities.
Other Liabilities: Other liabilities remain fairly steady with slight decreases during certain periods but no significant long-term trend upward or downward, implying consistent residual obligations across periods.
Total Liabilities: Total liabilities show a general upward trajectory from early periods through late 2025, indicative of the company undertaking greater obligations overall. There are periods of acceleration in growth, reflecting increases in both current and long-term liabilities.
Common Stock and Additional Paid-in Capital: Common stock par value remains unchanged across most periods, aside from a reduction in shares outstanding around mid-2022, while additional paid-in capital steadily increases, suggesting ongoing capital injections or stock-based compensation issuance.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss: This component of equity demonstrates a generally worsening position, progressively increasing negative amounts over time, which could reflect unfavorable foreign currency translation adjustments, pension-related losses, or other comprehensive income components.
Retained Earnings: Retained earnings display a strong upward trend despite occasional declines, signaling sustained profitability and earnings retention. However, a notable dip occurs around early 2024, suggesting a possible one-time charge or increased distributions during that period.
Total Stockholders' Equity: Total equity grows steadily from 2019 through 2023, with a temporary reduction in early 2024, followed by resumed growth toward the end of the timeline. The equity growth reflects accumulated earnings and capital contributions offset by comprehensive losses.
Noncontrolling Interests: Noncontrolling interests appear in earlier periods but diminish significantly after mid-2022, potentially indicating buyouts or changes in consolidation scope.
Total Liabilities and Equity: The sum of liabilities and equity generally rises across the entire period, reflecting overall growth in the company's financial scale. This growth is somewhat uneven and indicates periods of expanding balance sheet size consistent with operational expansion or asset acquisitions.

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Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST)

Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ EquityQuarterly Data

Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Quarterly Data