Costco Wholesale (COST) Operating Expenses (2009 - 2026)
Costco Wholesale's (COST) quarterly Operating Expenses came in at $6.3 billion in Q1 2026, up 10.75% YoY from $5.7 billion in Q1 2025, and down 0.98% on a QoQ basis from $6.3 billion in Q4 2025.
Costco Wholesale (COST) Operating Expenses (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
Costco Wholesale (COST) has 18 years of Operating Expenses data on file, last reported at $6.3 billion in Q1 2026.
- Quarterly Operating Expenses rose 10.75% year-over-year to $6.3 billion in Q1 2026, while the trailing twelve-month figure through Feb 2026 was $26.1 billion (up 9.87% YoY) and the FY2025 annual result came in at $25.0 billion, up 9.45% from the prior year.
- Operating Expenses slipped to $6.3 billion in Q1 2026, from $6.3 billion in the prior quarter.
- In the past five years, Operating Expenses ranged from a high of $7.8 billion in Q3 2025 to a low of $4.4 billion in Q2 2022.
- A 5-year average of $5.7 billion and a median of $5.7 billion in 2025 frame the typical range for Operating Expenses.
- Annual changes were most pronounced in 2023 — Operating Expenses rose 14.96% — and 2024, when it rose 1.84%.
- Tracing COST's Operating Expenses over 5 years: stood at $4.9 billion in 2022, then advanced by 8.97% to $5.4 billion in 2023, then climbed by 9.11% to $5.8 billion in 2024, then advanced by 8.35% to $6.3 billion in 2025, then retreated by 0.98% to $6.3 billion in 2026.
- The last three Operating Expenses figures came in at $6.3 billion (Q1 2026), $6.3 billion (Q4 2025), and $7.8 billion (Q3 2025), per Business Quant data.
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Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | Opex (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walmart | 822.84 Bn | 812.11 Bn | 44.69 Bn | 37.20 Bn |
| 2 | Costco Wholesale | 420.63 Bn | 400.63 Bn | 9.01 Bn | 6.19 Bn |
| 3 | Target | 75.00 Bn | 71.47 Bn | 7.38 Bn | 5.56 Bn |
| 4 | Dollar General | 27.08 Bn | 25.73 Bn | 3.41 Bn | 2.77 Bn |
| 5 | Dollar Tree | 25.79 Bn | 24.78 Bn | 1.83 Bn | 1.38 Bn |
| 6 | BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings | 12.24 Bn | 12.21 Bn | 1.03 Bn | 819.99 Mn |
| 7 | Bbb Foods | 6.04 Bn | 5.36 Bn | 250.62 Mn | -82.03 Mn |
| 8 | Pricesmart | 5.24 Bn | 4.91 Bn | 262.22 Mn | 1.42 Bn |
| 9 | Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings | 4.65 Bn | 4.40 Bn | 275.96 Mn | 233.47 Mn |
Historic Data
Download Data| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| May 10, 2026 | 6.19 Bn |
| Feb 15, 2026 | 6.27 Bn |
| Nov 23, 2025 | 6.33 Bn |
| Aug 31, 2025 | 7.78 Bn |
| May 11, 2025 | 5.68 Bn |
| Feb 16, 2025 | 5.66 Bn |
| Nov 24, 2024 | 5.85 Bn |
| Sep 1, 2024 | 7.07 Bn |
| May 12, 2024 | 5.15 Bn |
| Feb 18, 2024 | 5.24 Bn |
| Nov 26, 2023 | 5.36 Bn |
| Sep 3, 2023 | 6.94 Bn |
| May 7, 2023 | 4.79 Bn |
| Feb 12, 2023 | 4.94 Bn |
| Nov 20, 2022 | 4.92 Bn |
| Aug 28, 2022 | 6.04 Bn |
| May 8, 2022 | 4.45 Bn |
| Feb 13, 2022 | 4.58 Bn |
| Nov 21, 2021 | 4.72 Bn |
| Aug 29, 2021 | 5.70 Bn |