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Costco's July Sales Jump Signals Strong Finish to Fiscal 2025

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Key Takeaways

  • Costcos July comps rose 6.4%, with growth across the U.S., Canada and Other International markets.
  • Adjusted comps gained 7%, led by 14.9% e-commerce growth and broad regional strength.
  • Costco's July net sales were $20.89B; first 48 weeks' net sales totaled $248.35B, up 8.1%.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST - Free Report) posted another month of steady sales growth in July, reinforcing confidence as it enters the final stretch of its fiscal 2025. For the four weeks ended Aug. 3, 2025, total comparable sales rose 6.4% year over year. This follows comparable sales increases of 5.8% in June and 4.3% in May, indicating steady momentum.

Growth was broad-based, with U.S. comparable sales up 5.5%, Canada advancing 7.6%, and Other International markets surging 9.5%. Adjusted for fluctuations in gasoline prices and foreign exchange, results were even stronger — U.S. comps increased 6.5%, Canada jumped 9.1%, and Other International rose 7.5%, driving a 7% total company gain. This follows adjusted increases of 6.2% in June and 6% in May, underscoring sustained momentum.

E-commerce remained a bright spot, notching a 15.1% gain or 14.9% on an adjusted basis, reinforcing Costco’s multi-channel growth strategy. These gains build on June’s 11.5% and May’s 11.6% advances, highlighting continued strength in Costco’s digital channel and its ability to capture shifting consumer preferences.

Overall, July net sales rose 8.5% to $20.89 billion from $19.26 billion a year earlier. For the first 48 weeks of fiscal 2025, net sales totaled $248.35 billion, up 8.1% from the prior year, underscoring Costco’s ability to sustain momentum across varying market conditions. 

With robust performances across regions and channels, July sales results suggest that Costco is maintaining steady member traffic, healthy basket sizes and broad geographical momentum, all pointing to a resilient finish.

How Are Costco Peers DG & TGT Keeping Up With Sales?

Dollar General Corporation (DG - Free Report) reported a 2.4% increase in first-quarter fiscal 2025 same-store sales, driven by a 2.7% rise in the average transaction amount, though partially offset by a 0.3% decline in customer traffic. Dollar General saw growth across all key product categories, including consumables, seasonal, home products and apparel. Dollar General now expects same-store sales to rise between 1.5% and 2.5% compared to its prior forecast of 1.2% to 2.2%.

Target Corporation (TGT - Free Report) experienced a 3.8% decline in comparable sales in the first quarter, following a 1.5% increase in the preceding quarter. This drop was attributed to a 5.7% fall in Target’s comparable store sales, which was somewhat offset by a 4.7% increase in comparable digital sales. Target highlighted that traffic, or the number of transactions, dropped 2.4%, and the average transaction amount decreased 1.4%.

What the Latest Metrics Say About Costco

Costco stock has been a standout performer, with shares rallying 13.6% in the past year, outpacing the industry’s growth of 10.7%. 
 

Zacks Investment Research
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From a valuation standpoint, Costco's forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio stands at 49.49, higher than the industry’s ratio of 32.85. COST carries a Value Score of D.
 

Zacks Investment Research
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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco’s current financial-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 8.1% and 11.6%, respectively. 

 

Zacks Investment Research
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Costco currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.


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