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

	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	Sep 1, 2019	May 12, 2019	Feb 17, 2019	Nov 25, 2018
Accounts payable	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)	11,679)	11,331)	10,711)	13,133)
Accrued salaries and benefits	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)	3,176)	2,888)	3,173)	2,982)
Accrued member rewards	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)	1,180)	1,160)	1,130)	1,077)
Deferred membership fees	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)	1,711)	1,761)	1,735)	1,695)
Current portion of long-term debt	178)	98)	97)	103)	1,077)	1,080)	1,080)	1,081)	—)	76)	71)	73)	77)	—)	799)	799)	92)	95)	96)	95)	1,497)	500)	1,700)	1,699)	1,699)	1,698)	—)
Other current liabilities	7,254)	7,826)	6,487)	6,210)	6,183)	6,504)	6,188)	6,254)	6,226)	7,122)	6,050)	5,611)	5,948)	6,067)	5,079)	4,561)	4,807)	4,365)	8,535)	3,728)	4,060)	4,600)	3,956)	3,792)	3,993)	4,003)	3,586)
Current liabilities	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)	23,237)	22,832)	22,450)	22,473)
Long-term debt, excluding current portion	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)	5,124)	4,799)	4,794)	6,480)
Long-term operating lease liabilities	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	2,598)	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)	1,455)	1,301)	1,372)	1,382)
Other liabilities	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)	6,579)	6,100)	6,166)	7,862)
Total liabilities	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)	29,816)	28,932)	28,616)	30,335)
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)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)	4)
Additional paid-in capital	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)	6,417)	6,307)	6,218)	6,107)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(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)	(1,436)	(1,321)	(1,280)	(1,331)
Retained earnings	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)	10,258)	9,496)	8,916)	8,387)
Total Costco stockholders’ equity	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)	15,243)	14,486)	13,858)	13,167)
Noncontrolling interests	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	5)	5)	5)	5)	545)	558)	537)	514)	492)	477)	449)	421)	401)	385)	363)	341)	334)	325)	312)
Total equity	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)	15,584)	14,820)	14,183)	13,479)
Total liabilities and equity	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)	45,400)	43,752)	42,799)	43,814)

The financial data reveals several notable trends in the company's liabilities, equity, and overall financial structure over the examined periods.

Accounts Payable: Accounts payable fluctuated significantly, with notable increases during late 2020 and late 2024, peaking at 21,793 million US dollars in November 2024. These peaks suggest periods of heightened vendor credit, possibly tied to inventory cycles or operational scaling.
Accrued Salaries and Benefits: Accrued salaries and benefits showed a general upward trend, moving from approximately 2,982 million US dollars in November 2018 to peaks above 5,000 million US dollars by early 2025, reflecting possible workforce expansion or changes in compensation structures over time.
Accrued Member Rewards: This liability increased steadily, from just over 1,000 million US dollars in late 2018 to more than 2,500 million US dollars by the last periods, indicating growth in membership or increased member benefit accruals consistent with a reward program expansion.
Deferred Membership Fees: Deferred membership fees similarly trended upwards, starting around 1,695 million US dollars and reaching nearly 3,000 million US dollars, aligning with the growth observed in accrued member rewards and likely reflecting an increase in paid memberships.
Current Portion of Long-Term Debt: The current portion of long-term debt showed irregular values with considerable volatility. It remained low or absent in some quarters but spiked sharply around early 2024, suggesting refinancing or reclassification of debt instruments.
Other Current Liabilities: An unusual jump is noted in August 2020 to 8,535 million US dollars from more typical ranges around 3,500–6,000 million US dollars. Subsequent periods normalized yet remained elevated compared to earlier years, indicating one-time adjustments or changes in short-term obligations.
Total Current Liabilities: The aggregate current liabilities mirror the volatility seen in components such as accounts payable and other current liabilities, with a general increasing trend culminating at nearly 38,000 million US dollars in some quarters of 2024, implying growing short-term obligations.
Long-Term Debt: Excluding the current portion, long-term debt fluctuated mostly between 4,700 and 7,500 million US dollars. There was a peak in mid-2020 followed by a gradual decline, possibly reflecting debt repayment or refinancings over the period.
Long-Term Operating Lease Liabilities: Reported only from 2019 onward, the lease liabilities remained relatively stable, fluctuating modestly around 2,300 to 2,600 million US dollars, indicating steady obligations from operating leases.
Other Long-Term Liabilities: These liabilities showed moderate growth, moving from approximately 1,300 million US dollars to over 2,600 million US dollars towards the end of the data, reflecting increasing non-debt long-term obligations.
Other Liabilities: Other liabilities experienced erratic movement, peaking in the 12,000 million US dollars range early in the period, then declining to around 10,600 million US dollars by late 2024, suggesting periodic adjustments or shifts in classification.
Total Liabilities: Total liabilities rose markedly from approximately 30,335 million US dollars in late 2018 to a peak near 48,935 million US dollars, reflecting increased operating scale, expansions in trade payables, and other obligations.
Equity Components: Common stock par value remained constant with negligible changes, indicating no significant stock issuances. Additional paid-in capital increased steadily from about 6,100 million to over 8,100 million US dollars, suggesting capital injections or stock-based compensation.; Retained earnings showed substantial growth, reflecting accumulated profits over the period but exhibited volatility with a notable dip around early 2021 which later recovered, indicating possible impacts from extraordinary events or adjustments.; Accumulated other comprehensive loss deepened slightly over the period, implying fluctuations in unrealized gains or losses, possibly tied to foreign currency, pension, or marketable securities valuations.; Total stockholders' equity increased over time, with some interruptions around 2021 and early 2024 which correspond to movements in retained earnings and other equity components. Overall, equity growth suggests profitable operations and reinvestment.
Total Liabilities and Equity: The combined metric increased consistently from roughly 43,800 million to over 75,000 million US dollars, evidencing growth in the enterprise's size and financial base over the analyzed timeframe.

In summary, the data reveals a company experiencing growth in its scale of operations, as evidenced by increasing accounts payable, accrued liabilities, and membership-related deferred revenues. The liabilities show both steady increments and occasional spikes likely related to debt refinancing or operational cycles. The equity grows in alignment with retained earnings, indicating ongoing profitability despite some volatility. The overall financial position expands substantially, signifying business expansion and increased financial activity throughout the period.

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Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST)

Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity Quarterly Data

Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Quarterly Data