Last 48 quarters of trend data · Consumer Defensive · Discount Stores
Quarterly valuation ratios — annualised for comparability. YoY Δ shows same-quarter-prior-year change.
EV/EBITDA has compressed 17.0% YoY to 34.2x, reflecting multiple compression or accelerating EBITDA.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio → | 55.82 | — | 49.95 | 40.18 | 58.88 | 66.66 | 59.65 | 42.17 | 52.06 | 46.17 | 41.30 | 28.26 | 42.58 |
| — | — | -16.3% | -4.7% | +13.1% | +44.4% | +44.5% | +49.3% | +22.3% | +21.9% | -3.2% | -9.1% | +2.9% | |
| P/S Ratio | 1.64 | 1.63 | 1.48 | 1.22 | 1.77 | 1.87 | 1.73 | 1.25 | 1.50 | 1.38 | 1.14 | 0.77 | 1.03 |
| — | -13.1% | -14.0% | -2.3% | +18.5% | +35.8% | +51.8% | +61.1% | +44.8% | +37.0% | +6.3% | -4.0% | -2.9% | |
| P/B Ratio | 15.50 | 14.11 | 13.19 | 14.38 | 16.53 | 18.64 | 17.54 | 16.81 | 16.08 | 15.51 | 10.05 | 9.74 | 9.41 |
| — | -24.3% | -24.8% | -14.4% | +2.8% | +20.2% | +74.5% | +72.5% | +71.0% | +59.1% | -7.3% | -13.4% | -13.8% | |
| P/FCF | 57.49 | 66.30 | 31.60 | 55.17 | 48.13 | 74.00 | 53.73 | 71.88 | 45.19 | — | 18.19 | 28.14 | 76.89 |
| — | -10.4% | -41.2% | -23.3% | +6.5% | — | +195.3% | +155.5% | -41.2% | — | -51.4% | -39.5% | -48.8% | |
| EV / EBITDA | 34.70 | 34.17 | 31.99 | 25.12 | 35.91 | 41.19 | 38.82 | 26.38 | 32.17 | 31.28 | 25.67 | 17.25 | 25.37 |
| — | -17.0% | -17.6% | -4.8% | +11.6% | +31.7% | +51.2% | +52.9% | +26.8% | +36.0% | -2.3% | -7.7% | +1.7% | |
| EV / EBIT | 42.81 | 39.64 | 37.39 | 29.07 | 42.32 | 48.06 | 45.46 | 31.27 | 37.53 | 35.37 | 29.75 | 19.82 | 30.20 |
| — | -17.5% | -17.8% | -7.0% | +12.8% | +35.9% | +52.8% | +57.8% | +24.3% | +30.7% | -7.1% | -12.0% | +1.4% |
Quarterly margins and returns. Watch for margin compression across consecutive quarters.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's operating margin was 3.7% in Q2 2026, up 0.1 pp QoQ and up 0.1 pp YoY.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 12.8% | 12.8% | 13.1% | 12.9% | 13.0% | 12.5% | 12.9% | 12.7% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.7% | 12.3% | 12.1% |
| — | +1.9% | +1.0% | +1.7% | +3.5% | +0.2% | +1.9% | +3.0% | +4.0% | +0.9% | +3.7% | +4.0% | +1.7% | |
| Operating Margin | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 4.0% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.1% |
| — | +3.0% | +3.6% | +1.6% | +6.6% | +3.0% | +2.9% | +8.3% | +20.0% | +2.5% | +6.7% | +1.7% | -8.1% | |
| Net Margin | 2.9% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.0% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| — | +4.2% | +2.8% | +2.6% | +4.8% | -5.9% | +5.2% | +7.9% | +18.4% | +12.4% | +9.7% | +5.6% | -5.7% |
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 30.7% | 6.5% | 6.7% | 9.3% | 7.2% | 7.1% | 7.5% | 10.4% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 6.2% | 8.9% | 5.6% |
| — | -8.7% | -10.0% | -10.6% | -8.6% | -3.8% | +20.5% | +16.8% | +40.8% | +12.2% | -4.2% | -2.1% | -16.0% | |
| ROA | 11.0% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.5% | 3.4% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 3.2% | 1.9% |
| — | +0.3% | -0.3% | +0.1% | +2.2% | -2.0% | +12.8% | +7.4% | +28.5% | +12.8% | +6.3% | +9.0% | -8.6% | |
| ROIC | 34.5% | 9.9% | 8.1% | 11.2% | 8.9% | 8.1% | 7.6% | 10.7% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7.7% | 10.3% | 6.4% |
| — | +22.4% | +7.7% | +4.9% | +12.6% | +3.8% | -1.6% | +3.4% | +22.4% | +5.8% | +14.5% | +4.5% | -14.2% |
Quarterly solvency trend — watch for debt spikes or covenant pressure.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 0.8x, down from 2.6x last quarter — comfortably within a safe range. The current ratio has improved 6.1% YoY to 1.06x, strengthening the short-term liquidity position. Debt/Equity has declined for 9 consecutive quarters, reflecting a deleveraging trend.
| Metric | TTM | Q2 '26 | Q1 '26 | Q4 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q1 '25 | Q4 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q1 '24 | Q4 '23 | Q3 '23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.28 | 0.08 | 0.27 | 0.28 | 0.30 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.43 | 0.45 | 0.36 | 0.35 | 0.38 |
| — | -75.4% | -18.6% | -20.0% | -29.4% | -30.8% | -8.1% | -1.2% | +11.8% | +13.4% | -15.1% | -19.0% | -13.3% | |
| Debt / EBITDA | 0.64 | 0.77 | 2.65 | 1.99 | 2.65 | 2.80 | 2.93 | 2.21 | 3.43 | 3.66 | 3.76 | 2.56 | 4.19 |
| — | -72.4% | -9.6% | -10.0% | -22.5% | -23.5% | -22.2% | -13.8% | -18.1% | -4.9% | -8.6% | -12.4% | +2.9% | |
| Current Ratio | 1.03 | 1.06 | 1.04 | 1.03 | 1.02 | 1.00 | 0.98 | 0.97 | 0.94 | 0.93 | 1.09 | 1.07 | 1.08 |
| — | +6.1% | +6.0% | +7.1% | +7.8% | +7.6% | -10.1% | -9.6% | -12.9% | -12.2% | +5.6% | +4.6% | +4.3% | |
| Quick Ratio | 0.55 | 0.59 | 0.53 | 0.55 | 0.52 | 0.49 | 0.43 | 0.44 | 0.45 | 0.43 | 0.60 | 0.57 | 0.57 |
| — | +20.8% | +23.3% | +24.2% | +16.0% | +12.9% | -28.0% | -23.2% | -20.8% | -22.6% | +27.5% | +23.9% | +17.3% | |
| Interest Coverage | 67.42 | 78.97 | 70.37 | 72.63 | 72.29 | 64.33 | 59.35 | 62.08 | 53.59 | 50.29 | 52.21 | 49.66 | 46.64 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Includes 30+ ratios · 48 years · Updated daily
Analyst consensus, bull case, AI-generated risk factors, and peer comparison — all in one place.
Bull case, key risks, Wall St analyst verdict, and what council investors are saying — updated daily.
Price is only half the story. See total return with reinvested dividends.
Launch CalculatorDCF intrinsic value, peer multiples, and analyst estimates — see what the stock is really worth.
View ValuationCompare business quality, growth, and profitability against top sector peers.
Start ComparisonQuick answers to the most common questions about buying COST stock.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's current P/E is 55.8x. The average P/E over the last 3 quarters is 49.7x. Quarterly P/E ratios can vary due to seasonal revenue patterns and one-time charges.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's current operating margin is 3.8%. Margins have been compressing over recent quarters. Quarterly margins are particularly useful for identifying trend inflections that annual data smooths over.
Quarterly financial ratios reveal short-term trend shifts — margin compression, debt spikes, or valuation re-ratings — that annual figures smooth over. They're essential for active investors tracking Costco Wholesale Corporation's business trajectory between earnings reports.