Costco Announces 11% Jump In March Sales Despite Fewer Shopping Days

• For the first 31 weeks of the fiscal year, net sales totaled $173.26 billion, up 9.1% from $158.87 billion in the prior-year period.
• Comparable sales for the five-week retail March period rose 9.4%, while it increased 7.2% for the 31-week period, the company said. 
• The company noted that the March period included one fewer shopping day than the prior year because of the calendar shift of the Easter holiday.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) on Wednesday reported net sales growth of about 11% for the retail month of March despite one less shopping day.

The company reported net sales of $28.41 billion for the five weeks ended April 5, 2026, compared to $25.51 billion in the same period a year earlier.

For the first 31 weeks of the fiscal year, net sales totaled $173.26 billion, up 9.1% from $158.87 billion in the prior-year period.

Comparable Sales

Comparable sales for the five-week retail March period rose 9.4%, while it increased 7.2% for the 31-week period, the company said.

Excluding the effects of changes in gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates, comparable sales grew 6.2% for the five weeks. U.S. comparable sales alone increased 6.2% for the period, while e-commerce comparable sales shot up 22.5%, excluding the factors.

The company noted that the March period included one fewer shopping day than the prior year because of the calendar shift of the Easter holiday, negatively affecting both total and comparable sales by approximately 1.5 percentage points.

Costco currently operates 928 warehouses worldwide, including 637 in the United States and Puerto Rico. It also runs e-commerce sites in several markets.

The company recently cut prices on several items after the U.S. ​Supreme Court's decision to strike down President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs lowered the levies on products from countries including China.

How Did Retail Traders React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around COST stock rose from ‘bearish’ to ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume increased from ‘low’ to ‘normal’ levels.

According to data from Koyfin, the 12-month average price target on COST is $1,067.59, representing a potential upside of about 4% from last closing price. Of the 37 analysts covering the stock, 23 rate it ‘Buy’ or higher, while 12 rate it ‘Hold’ and two ‘Sell.’

COST stock has gained nearly 13% over the past 12 months. 

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