The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.
Costco Wholesale Corp is a discount stores business with stocks listed in the US. Costco shares (COST) are listed on the NASDAQ and all prices are listed in US Dollars. Here's how to invest if you're based in Australia.
How to buy shares in Costco
- Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company listed in the US from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. Look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
- Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, which will typically include your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
- Search for Costco. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: COST. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment that matches your financial goals.
- Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Costco reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying using consistent intervals and amounts.
- Decide on how many to buy. Weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of Costco, depending on your broker.
- Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Costco. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights.
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Have Costco's shares ever split?
Costco's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 13 January 2000. So if you had owned 1 share the day before the split, the next day you would own 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Costco shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Costco shares which in turn could have impacted Costco's share price.
Costco shares at a glance
Information last updated 2025-12-01.
| 52-week range | US$868.143 - US$1073.818 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | US$922.6562 |
| 200-day moving average | US$964.2725 |
| Target price | US$1059.8334 |
| PE ratio | 49.9978 |
| Dividend yield | US$4.92 (0.54%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | US$18.24 |
Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.
Is it a good time to buy Costco stock?
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. However, this is not a recommendation. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Is it worth buying Costco stock?
Valuing Costco stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Costco's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Costco's P/E ratio
Costco's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 50x. In other words, Costco shares trade at around 50x recent earnings.
That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.
Costco's PEG ratio
Costco's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 5.0867. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Costco's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
Costco's EBITDA
Costco's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$12.8 billion (£9.6 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Costco's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure stock profitability.
Costco share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Costco's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$868.143 up to US$1073.818. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta measures a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while Costco's is 0.982. This would suggest that Costco's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
Costco financials
| Revenue TTM | US$275.2 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 3.88% |
| Gross profit TTM | US$35.3 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 8.83% |
| Return on equity TTM | 30.69% |
| Profit margin | 2.94% |
| Book value | 65.798 |
| Market capitalisation | US$404.4 billion |
| EBITDA | US$12.8 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Costco share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 27.4% of net profits
Recently Costco has paid out, on average, around 27.4% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.57% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Costco shareholders could enjoy a 0.57% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Costco's case, that would currently equate to about $4.92 per share.
While Costco's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Costco may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
Costco's most recent dividend payout was on 13 November 2025. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 30 October 2025 (the "ex-dividend date").
Costco's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Costco.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Costco's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 24.32
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Costco's overall score of 24.32 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 30th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Costco is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
Costco's environmental score
Environmental score: 4.18/100
Costco's environmental score of 4.18 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Costco is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Costco's social score
Social score: 11.94/100
Costco's social score of 11.94 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Costco is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Costco's governance score
Governance score: 8.2/100
Costco's governance score puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Costco is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Costco's controversy score
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Costco scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Costco hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Costco Wholesale Corp was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 24.32 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 30.2 |
| Environmental score | 4.18 |
| Environmental score percentile | 3 |
| Social score | 11.94 |
| Social score percentile | 3 |
| Governance score | 8.2 |
| Governance score percentile | 3 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
Costco overview
Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. It offers merchandise, including sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, deli, liquor, and tobacco; non-food merchandise comprising appliances, small electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, lawn and garden, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal, automotive, stamps, tickets, apparel, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and fresh food, such as meat, produce, service deli, and bakery products. The company is also involved in warehouse ancillary operations, which include gasoline, pharmacies, optical, food courts, hearing-aid centers, and tire installation centers. In addition, it engages in e-commerce, business centers, travel, and other businesses. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
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