New York, Jan 7, 2026, 17:59 EST — After-hours
- Costco shares down about 0.7% after hours after December net sales rose 8.5%
- Comparable sales rose 7.0% for the five-week retail month; digitally-enabled sales jumped 18.9%
- Next catalysts include the Jan. 15 annual meeting and the March 5 earnings call
Costco Wholesale Corp shares dipped 0.7% to $882.58 in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the warehouse retailer posted an 8.5% rise in December net sales to $29.86 billion. Comparable sales (sales at stores open at least a year) rose 7.0% in the five-week period ended Jan. 4, while digitally-enabled sales, a company metric that includes online orders, climbed 18.9%. 1
The sales update lands at a touchy moment for the retail tape. Investors have been leaning on monthly reads to gauge whether value-focused spending held up after the holidays and how much demand is shifting online.
It also matters because Costco’s business runs on volume and repeat trips. A small change in traffic can show up fast in comparable sales, and markets use the monthlies as a rough guide into the next earnings report.
Comparable sales rose 7% in the latest five-week period, a shade below the 7.4% pace Costco reported for the year-ago December retail month. That comparison matters because Costco’s holiday month includes an extra week, and investors often try to separate calendar effects from the underlying trend. 2
Costco operates membership warehouses and e-commerce sites built around low prices on a limited assortment, which the company says drives high turnover and lets it run profitably at lower gross margins. That structure means membership income and mix shifts can matter as much as raw sales growth.
Analyst chatter has been split on whether Costco’s recent wobble reflects real cooling or just math and crowding. Mizuho analyst David Bellinger said the “issues swirling around shares” were the byproduct of “too much consumer demand,” calling it “an incredibly high-quality problem,” according to a Yahoo Finance report. 3
But the holiday signal can still turn on shoppers’ nerves, especially if discounting spreads and higher-priced baskets start to thin out. Albertsons’ CEO said customers were becoming more conscious about “price and value,” while Evercore ISI analyst Michael Montani flagged “competitive pressure from Walmart, Clubs and hard discounters,” a reminder of the pricing fight in food and staples. 4
Costco’s annual shareholder meeting is set for Jan. 15 via live webcast, when investors will vote on directors, auditor ratification and other items laid out in the company’s proxy materials.
For the next session, traders will keep an eye on any added color from Costco’s monthly sales recording and whether the stock holds near the day’s low end. The next hard catalyst on the calendar is Costco’s fiscal second-quarter earnings call on March 5.
