What does EBITDA margin mean?

Operating cash profitability per sales dollar, before interest, taxes, and non-cash charges.

How do you interpret EBITDA margin?

Useful for comparing operating profitability across firms with different depreciation policies and leverage. High EBITDA margin alongside heavy capex can still mean weak free cash flow — pair it with FCF margin.

How does EBITDA margin compare across companies?

Widely used to compare capital-intensive businesses on a like-for-like basis. Less meaningful for banks and insurers.

Costco Wholesale COST EBITDA margin

Discontinued — last reported Q3 '19

EBITDA margin at other companies

TargetTGT

7.5%-0.8pp

KrogerKR

3.5%-1.3pp

SyscoSYY

4.7%-0.3pp

Walmart WMT

6.2%-0.1pp

Best BuyBBY

5.6%+0.7pp

Dollar TreeDLTR

11.9%+0.5pp

Other financials

Income statement

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Revenue$70.5B+11.6%

Gross profit$9.0B+9.7%

Operating income$2.8B+11.3%

Net income$2.2B+15.2%

EPS (diluted)$4.93+15.2%

Balance sheet

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Cash & equivalents$18.9B+36.9%

Total debt$8.1B-2.7%

Total equity$33.5B+23.5%

Total assets$86.4B+14.5%

Cash flow

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Operating cash flow$11.1B+17.6%

CapEx$4.2B+19.7%

Free cash flow$6.9B+16.3%

Valuation

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Market cap$421.95B-6.1%

Enterprise value$411.14B-7.3%

P/E47.7×-9.5×

P/S1.4×-0.2×

Profitability

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Gross margin12.9%+0.1pp

Operating margin3.8%+0.1pp

Net margin3%+0.1pp

Returns & leverage

See full

Return on equity29.2%-2.9pp

Debt / equity0.2×-0.1×

Current ratio1.1×+0.1×

Where this comes from

Calculated from Costco Wholesale’s reported figures.

ebitda/total revenue=4.8%

Based on trailing twelve months.

The official record: Costco Wholesale’s 10-Q, filed June 4, 2020, on SEC EDGAR. View the filing →

Questions, answered.

What does EBITDA margin mean?: Operating cash profitability per sales dollar, before interest, taxes, and non-cash charges.
How do you interpret EBITDA margin?: Useful for comparing operating profitability across firms with different depreciation policies and leverage. High EBITDA margin alongside heavy capex can still mean weak free cash flow — pair it with FCF margin.
How does EBITDA margin compare across companies?: Widely used to compare capital-intensive businesses on a like-for-like basis. Less meaningful for banks and insurers.