Strong start to the fiscal year for Costco Wholesale

  • Costco beats earnings expectations
  • Declares special dividend of $15 per share
  • First-quarter revenue in line with expectations
  • Same-store sales up by 3.8%
  • Shares of Costco fell 1% in after-hours trading
  • Stock is up 38% this year

Costco Wholesale had a strong start to its new fiscal year, beating earnings expectations and declaring a special dividend. The company reported earnings of $3.58 per share, surpassing estimates of $3.41 per share. Revenue of $57.8 billion was largely in line with expectations. Same-store sales were up by 3.8%, meeting consensus estimates. Additionally, Costco announced a special cash dividend of $15 per common share, totaling approximately $6.7 billion. Despite the positive news, shares of Costco fell 1% in after-hours trading. However, the stock has seen a significant increase of 38% this year. Investors can expect more updates and analysis during the scheduled call with investors at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Public Companies: Costco Wholesale (COST)
Private Companies:
Key People:


Factuality Level: 8
Justification: The article provides factual information about Costco’s first-quarter earnings, beating expectations, and declaring a special dividend. The information is sourced from FactSet, a reliable financial data provider. The article does not contain any irrelevant or misleading information, sensationalism, redundancy, or opinion masquerading as fact. It also does not include any digressions, unnecessary background information, or details tangential to the main topic. The reporting is accurate and objective, without any bias or personal perspective presented as universally accepted truth. There are no invalid arguments, logical errors, inconsistencies, fallacies, faulty reasoning, false assumptions, or incorrect conclusions. Overall, the article provides factual and reliable information about Costco’s financial performance.

Noise Level: 3
Justification: The article provides a brief summary of Costco’s first-quarter earnings and the announcement of a special dividend. However, it lacks in-depth analysis, evidence, and actionable insights. The article also contains filler content, such as a request for feedback and a note about breaking news. Overall, the article is relatively noise-free but lacks substance.

Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Costco Wholesale

Presence of Extreme Event: No
Nature of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating of the Extreme Event: No
Justification: The article pertains to the financial performance of Costco Wholesale and its declaration of a special dividend. There is no mention of any extreme event.

Reported publicly: www.marketwatch.com