TLDR
- Costco reported January sales of $21.33 billion, up 9.3% year-over-year, accelerating from December’s 8.5% growth
- Comparable-store sales increased 7.1% with U.S. traffic up 2.2% and worldwide traffic up 2.4%
- E-commerce sales surged 34.4%, more than doubling December’s 18.9% growth rate
- Roth MKM analyst maintains Sell rating with $769 price target, citing winter storm stockpiling concerns
- COST stock has rebounded 13.6% year-to-date after falling 5% in 2025
Costco Wholesale stock climbed 1.2% in extended trading Wednesday after reporting accelerating sales growth for January. The warehouse retailer posted $21.33 billion in sales for the four weeks ended February 1, 2026.
Costco Wholesale Corporation, COST
The 9.3% sales increase marked a faster pace than December’s 8.5% growth. Comparable-store sales grew 7.1%, edging up from December’s 7% gain.
Foot traffic to Costco locations showed steady improvement. Worldwide traffic rose 2.4%, while U.S. stores saw a 2.2% increase in customer visits.
$COST Costco Jan. Total Comparable Sales Beat Estimates (Bloomberg)
JANUARY RESULTS
đšTotal comparable sales +7.1%, estimate +5.9% (Consensus Metrix, average of 14 estimates)
đšUS comparable sales ex-gas, FX +6.8%, estimate +5%
đšTotal company comparable sales excluding fuel,⌗ Christian Fromhertz đşđ¸ (@cfromhertz) February 4, 2026
Regional performance varied across Costco’s operations. U.S. comparable sales increased 5.8%, while Canada posted the strongest growth at 11.4%.
The Other International segment grew 9.5%. The timing of Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year shifting to February hurt this segment by roughly 4%.
The holiday shift also trimmed overall sales by about 0.5% in January.
E-Commerce Growth Accelerates
Digital sales showed the strongest momentum in January. Digitally-enabled comparable sales jumped 34.4%, more than doubling December’s 18.9% growth rate.
Excluding gasoline price changes and currency fluctuations, comparable sales rose 6.4% in January. The strong performance lifted investor confidence after a difficult 2025.
COST stock dropped just over 5% last year while the S&P 500 gained 17%. Higher tariffs, elevated valuations, and declining membership renewal rates weighed on shares.
The stock has bounced back in 2026 with a 13.6% gain year-to-date. Two consecutive months of accelerating comparable-store sales growth have renewed investor interest.
Analyst Maintains Bearish Stance
Roth MKM analyst Bill Kirk kept his Sell rating on COST stock despite the positive January results. He set a price target of $769.
Kirk noted that traffic deceleration continued in January but higher transaction values offset the slowdown. He believes the sharp e-commerce acceleration stemmed from winter storm-related stockpiling.
The analyst expects February sales to reverse some of January’s gains as the pull-ahead demand normalizes. Wall Street maintains a Strong Buy consensus rating on Costco stock.
Nineteen analysts recommend buying shares, four rate them a Hold, and one recommends selling. The average price target of $1,069.11 suggests 9.3% upside from current levels.
Shares traded 1.5% higher in after-hours trading Wednesday following the sales report.
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