Dear Costco Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for September 25

Core Viewpoint - Costco Wholesale is preparing to report its fiscal fourth-quarter 2025 earnings, with investor focus on its membership model, margin management, e-commerce growth, and external challenges like tariffs and supply-chain issues [1] Financial Performance - Costco's August sales report indicated net sales of $21.6 billion, reflecting an 8.7% increase from the same quarter last year, positively impacting stock performance [2] - The company reported third-quarter fiscal 2025 net sales of approximately $62 billion, an 8% year-over-year increase, with net income of $1.9 billion or $4.28 per share, surpassing consensus estimates [6] - Membership fee income rose by 10.4% year-over-year to $1.2 billion [6] Sales and Growth Metrics - Global comparable store sales increased by 5.7%, with U.S. sales up 6.6%, Canada up 2.9%, and Other International locations up 3.2% [7] - Adjusted for gasoline price volatility and foreign exchange effects, U.S. comparable sales growth was 7.9%, Canada 7.8%, and Other International 8.5% [7] - E-commerce sales saw a comparable growth of 14.8%, adjusted to 15.7% [7] Stock Performance - COST stock has seen a modest year-to-date increase of 6% and a similar rise over the past 52 weeks, although it currently trades about 10% below its 52-week high of $1,078.23 [4] - The stock is valued at 48.58 times forward earnings, which is considered high compared to industry peers [5]