Costco posts 19% digital sales rise in September

Costco Wholesale Corporation reported a 19% year-over-year increase in digitally enabled sales for the five weeks ended Oct. 4, 2026. Excluding foreign exchange fluctuations, digital sales growth stood at 19.1%. Costco counts all transactions initiated on digital devices in this metric, whether orders are fulfilled through warehouses, distribution centers, or Costco Travel.

The performance extends momentum from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, when digitally enabled comparable sales increased 19.5%, or 19.8% on an adjusted basis. For the full fiscal year, digitally enabled comparable sales rose 20.9%. During the fourth quarter, e-commerce website and app traffic climbed 30%, personalized initiatives delivered triple-digit sales growth, and the retailer expanded same-day delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash alongside Instacart.

Among competitors, Walmart reported a 23% rise in global e-commerce sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2027, with store-fulfilled deliveries growing over 40% and fast delivery up 48%. Target posted an 8.7% rise in second-quarter fiscal 2026 comparable digital sales, led by more than 25% growth in same-day delivery.

Costco shares gained 2.2% over the past three months, compared with a 0.3% rise for its industry. The company trades at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 41.03, above the industry level of 27.78 but below its 12-month median of 44.82. Zacks Consensus Estimates project current fiscal-year sales growth of 8.2% and earnings per share growth of 11.7%, followed by 7.1% sales growth and 9.1% earnings growth next fiscal year.