Equity
Retained Earnings
Costco Wholesale Retained Earnings increased by 5.2% to $25.12B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 27.1%, from $19.77B to $25.12B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows an upward trend with a 12.0% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
StatementBalance Sheet Statement
SectionEquity
CategoryProfitability
SignalHigher is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ4 2015
Last reportedQ2 2026Mar 11, 2026
How to read this metric
An increase signals strong historical profitability and reinvestment, while a decrease may indicate losses or significant dividend payouts.
Detailed definition
This represents the cumulative net income earned by the company since its inception, minus any dividends paid to shareho...
Peer comparison
A key metric for all established companies; growth rates are compared against peers to gauge long-term success.
Metric ID:
retained_earningsHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | Q2 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $10.47B | $11.67B | $12.61B | $13.47B | $14.29B | $15.59B | $16.41B | $17.34B | $18.04B | $19.52B | $20.50B | $14.98B | $15.99B | $17.62B | $18.70B | $19.77B | $20.89B | $22.65B | $23.87B | $25.12B |
| QoQ Change | — | +11.5% | +8.1% | +6.9% | +6.1% | +9.0% | +5.3% | +5.7% | +4.0% | +8.2% | +5.0% | -26.9% | +6.7% | +10.2% | +6.1% | +5.7% | +5.7% | +8.4% | +5.4% | +5.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +36.6% | +33.6% | +30.2% | +28.7% | +26.2% | +25.3% | +24.9% | -13.6% | -11.3% | -9.7% | -8.8% | +32.0% | +30.7% | +28.6% | +27.6% | +27.1% |
Range$10.47B – $25.12B
CAGR+20.2%
Avg YoY Growth+19.2%
Median YoY Growth+27.4%
Current Streak8 quarters growth
Retained Earnings at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Costco Wholesale's retained earnings?
- Costco Wholesale (COST) reported retained earnings of $25.12B in Q4 2025.
- How has Costco Wholesale's retained earnings changed year-over-year?
- Costco Wholesale's retained earnings increased by 27.1% year-over-year, from $19.77B to $25.12B.
- What is the long-term trend for Costco Wholesale's retained earnings?
- Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), Costco Wholesale's retained earnings has grown at a 12.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $12.88B to $22.65B.
- What does retained earnings mean?
- The total accumulated profits the company has kept and reinvested rather than paying out as dividends.