NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 11:08 ET — Regular session
- Costco shares down about 0.5% in morning trade
- Company’s December sales results are scheduled for Jan. 7
- SEC filing shows an executive vice president sold shares late last year
Costco Wholesale Corp shares fell 0.5% to $857.91 in morning trade on Friday, giving back ground as U.S. stocks began 2026 on firmer footing.
The move matters because Costco’s monthly sales update next week is one of the first hard reads on holiday demand from a major U.S. retailer, and investors use it to gauge momentum before the next earnings report.
Traders were also scanning insider-trading disclosures after a senior executive reported share sales at the end of 2025, a period when many funds rebalance positions around the year turn.
A filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed Executive Vice President Javier Polit sold 2,049 Costco shares on Dec. 29 and 558.305 shares on Dec. 30, leaving about 10,189.592 shares directly owned. The filing said the Dec. 29 sale price was a weighted average of $867.2054 a share, with individual transactions ranging from $867.16 to $867.325.
Costco’s investor relations calendar lists its “December Sales Results” release for Jan. 7 at 1:15 p.m. Pacific time (4:15 p.m. ET), after the close of regular U.S. trading. Costco Investor Relations
Analysts are already framing that report as the next catalyst. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “Outperform” rating and a $1,100 price target, and forecast total comparable sales growth of 2.2% for December, Investing.com reported. Investing
Comparable sales, also called same-store sales, measure revenue at locations that have been open at least a year. Costco and its peers often also adjust that metric to strip out gasoline prices and foreign exchange swings, which can move reported growth even when underlying demand is steady.
The company last reported quarterly results on Dec. 11, when it said first-quarter net sales rose 8.2% to $65.98 billion for the 12 weeks ended Nov. 23, and total-company comparable sales grew 6.4%.
Membership trends remain a central watch point for Costco’s valuation. “At Q1 end, our US and Canada renewal rate was 92.2%,” Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip said on the earnings call. (A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.) The Motley Fool
The broader tape was supportive on Friday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq starting 2026 higher as technology stocks rebounded. Retail names tied to home furnishings also got a lift after President Donald Trump delayed tariff increases on furniture goods, Reuters reported.
Beyond Costco’s own sales print, investors are watching the U.S. data calendar for signals on consumer demand and interest-rate expectations. The U.S. Employment Situation report for December 2025 is scheduled for release on Jan. 9, according to the Labor Department’s calendar.
For Costco, the near-term question is whether December’s holiday season shows a clear slowdown in comparable sales — and whether any weakness is concentrated in discretionary categories or offset by continued traffic and membership resilience.
A steady sales report next week would give bulls fresh ammunition after the year-end reset, while a softer read could keep the stock range-bound as the market waits for the next set of quarterly results and guidance.
