ISSAQUAH, Washington, August 22, 2026, 3:30 p.m. PDT
- Costco closed Friday at $947.74, up 1.52%, after Thursday’s 2.45% fall.
- The stock lost 1.39% for the week, or about $5.9 billion in preliminary market value.
- July adjusted U.S. comparable sales grew 6.9%, far above Walmart’s latest 2.6% pace.
Costco Wholesale Corporation NASDAQ:COST recovered roughly $6.3 billion of market value on Friday. It still ended a volatile retail week about $5.9 billion lighter.
The shares rose 1.52% to $947.74 on Friday. That rebound followed a 2.45% fall on Thursday, when Walmart Inc. NYSE:WMT missed U.S. comparable-sales expectations and unsettled the retail group.
The read-through looks harsher than Costco’s own sales record. Costco’s adjusted U.S. comparable sales rose 6.9% in July. Walmart reported 2.6% U.S. comparable growth for its latest quarter.
| Session | Close | Daily move | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 17 | $953.50 | -0.79% | 1.24 million |
| Aug. 18 | $961.35 | +0.82% | 1.85 million |
| Aug. 19 | $956.99 | -0.45% | 1.64 million |
| Aug. 20 | $933.51 | -2.45% | 2.50 million |
| Aug. 21 | $947.74 | +1.52% | 2.37 million |
Thursday’s volume reached 2.50 million shares. That was the week’s peak and about double Monday’s turnover. Friday recovered roughly 61% of Thursday’s estimated $10.4 billion loss.
Those market-value figures are preliminary. They use 444.6 million diluted shares, derived from Costco’s fiscal third-quarter profit and earnings per share.
| July sales measure | Reported growth | Adjusted growth |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. comparable sales | 10.3% | 6.9% |
| Canada comparable sales | 4.2% | 4.9% |
| Other international | 6.0% | 6.4% |
| Total company | 8.9% | 6.8% |
| Digitally enabled | 17.7% | 17.6% |
July net sales climbed 10.7% to $23.12 billion. Sales for the first 48 weeks rose 10.1% to $273.55 billion. Digital growth remained the standout.
The business also entered Medicare coverage. Costco and nonprofit SCAN Health Plan plan co-branded products, subject to regulatory approval. The companies have not disclosed launch markets, timing or financial terms.
“Selecting SCAN as our partner to deliver a better healthcare experience for seniors is an extension of that commitment,” Chief Executive Ron Vachris said. Partnership statement
The initiative could deepen member engagement, but it is not yet an earnings driver. Investors still pay mainly for warehouse growth, renewals and high sales consistency.
| Analyst recommendation | Count | Share of 39 |
|---|---|---|
| Strong buy | 19 | 48.7% |
| Buy | 4 | 10.3% |
| Hold | 14 | 35.9% |
| Sell | 1 | 2.6% |
| Strong sell | 1 | 2.6% |
Wall Street’s average target is $1,077. That implies 13.6% upside from Friday’s close. The range is wide, from $740 to $1,315.
| Upcoming checkpoint | Date | Investor question |
|---|---|---|
| Next trading session | Aug. 24 | Does the Walmart read-through keep fading? |
| Fiscal Q4 earnings call | Sept. 24, 2:00 p.m. PDT | Can sales strength offset margin pressure? |
| Analyst target spread | Current | $740 downside case versus $1,315 bull case |
The September 24 report is the next major company test. Costco’s fiscal third-quarter net income rose 15% to $2.19 billion. Reported gross margin, however, fell 21 basis points to 11.04%.
Risks: fuel inflation can pressure traffic and transport costs. Rich valuation raises the penalty for slower renewal, weaker traffic or another retail demand shock.
For now, Costco’s sales gap over Walmart remains intact. Friday’s partial recovery shows investors noticed. It did not erase the week’s warning.
Related articles: NASDAQ:COST
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