New York, Jan 8, 2026, 16:46 EST — After-hours
- Costco shares rose 3.7% after hours after the company reported higher December sales.
- Net sales for the five-week December retail month rose 8.5%; comparable sales increased 7%.
- Next focus: management updates at the Jan. 15 shareholders meeting and the March 5 earnings call.
Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O) shares rose in after-hours trade on Thursday after the warehouse retailer reported higher December sales. The stock was last up 3.7% at $915.31.
Costco’s monthly sales release is one of the fastest reads investors get on its holiday season, dropping in right as markets sift through which retailers are still grabbing share. For Costco, the bar is touchy; even a slight shift in comps can rattle a stock that rarely looks “cheap.”
That matters, too, in part because the report is new. It covers a five-week December retail month that ran into early January, a period when promotions fall away and consumer habits start to change.
Costco said net sales in the five-week retail month ended Jan. 4 climbed 8.5% to $29.86 billion. Comparable sales — sales at stores open at least a year — rose 7% overall, it reported. Digitally-enabled comparable sales surged 18.9%.
“December sales provide a measure of relief, confirming a reacceleration in sales at a pace that are clearly gaining share,” Evercore ISI analyst Greg Melich wrote. Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe said the monthly print looked like a solid signal on the staying power of Costco’s membership model. Barron’s+1
The numbers landed as broader retail signals stayed all over the map. Adobe Analytics said U.S. online spending from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 rose 6.8% to $257.8 billion, though growth cooled from the prior year.
Still, a monthly update isn’t earnings. It also skirts the larger question: can Costco keep pushing volume higher without crimping margins as wages, freight and import costs swing. If traffic fades after the holiday rush, or discretionary spending tightens faster than expected, the stock could end up exposed.
Investors get their next official signpost at Costco’s annual shareholders meeting on Jan. 15. After that, the company is slated to host its fiscal second-quarter earnings call on March 5.
