NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 20:18 ET — Market closed
- Costco shares last closed up 0.2% at $873.35.
- Investors are looking ahead to Costco’s December sales results on Jan. 7 after the U.S. close. [1]
- U.S. stocks were little changed in thin post-holiday trade; Target jumped on an activist-stake report. [2]
Costco Wholesale Corp (COST) shares ended Friday up 0.2% at $873.35 in thin post-Christmas trading.
The warehouse-club operator has a near-term holiday checkpoint on deck: Costco’s December sales results are scheduled for Jan. 7, after the regular U.S. close. [3]
That matters because the update gives investors a timely read on holiday demand at a retailer built around value pricing and recurring membership fees, which help support profits when shoppers pull back.
Wall Street largely marked time on Friday, snapping a five-session rally with only marginal declines, as traders watched for a “Santa Claus rally” — the seasonal stretch covering the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new one. [4]
“We had a very strong five-day rally, so in a way we’re just simply catching our breath today after the holiday,” Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, said. [5]
Retail shares were mixed, with Target jumping 3.1% after the Financial Times reported activist investor Toms Capital Investment Management had built a stake, Reuters reported. [6]
Walmart edged up 0.1% and BJ’s Wholesale Club slipped 0.7% on the session, while Costco’s shares posted a small gain.
Costco traded between $868.51 and $877.00 on Friday, leaving the stock in the high-$860s to mid-$870s range heading into the final days of the year.
Costco’s investor relations calendar lists the December sales release for Jan. 7 at 1:15 p.m. PT, or 4:15 p.m. ET, which falls after the 4 p.m. regular-session close. [7]
The monthly report typically includes net sales and comparable sales — sales at stores open at least a year — a closely watched gauge of underlying demand that strips out the impact of new locations.
Investors also have Costco’s fiscal second-quarter earnings call on the calendar for March 5 at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET), according to the company’s events schedule. [8]
Before the next session, investors will monitor U.S. data that can shift expectations for interest rates and consumer spending. Monday’s calendar includes advance international trade in goods at 8:30 a.m. ET and the National Association of Realtors’ pending home sales index at 10 a.m. ET, the New York Fed’s economic indicators schedule shows. [9]
A regional factory gauge from the Dallas Fed follows at 10:30 a.m. ET. Any surprise can ripple through retail names as traders recalibrate how resilient demand looks heading into 2026. [10]
For Costco, the next clear catalyst is the Jan. 7 sales print, followed by the March 5 earnings call, with year-end liquidity expected to keep single-stock moves more sensitive to headline flow. [11]
References
1. investor.costco.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. investor.costco.com, 4. www.reuters.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. www.reuters.com, 7. investor.costco.com, 8. investor.costco.com, 9. www.newyorkfed.org, 10. www.newyorkfed.org, 11. investor.costco.com
