Operating
Operating Cash Flow
Costco Wholesale Operating Cash Flow decreased by 50.5% to $4.69B in Q3 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 43.8%, from $3.26B to $4.69B. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
StatementCash Flow Statement
SectionOperating
CategoryLiquidity
SignalHigher is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ4 2013
Last reportedQ4 2025
How to read this metric
Consistently high operating cash flow indicates a healthy, self-sustaining business capable of funding its own growth and returning capital to shareholders.
Detailed definition
Net cash from operating activities measures the total amount of cash generated by a company's core business operations....
Peer comparison
Investors often compare this to capital expenditures to calculate Free Cash Flow, a primary valuation metric for mature tech giants.
Metric ID:
net_cash_from_operatingHistorical Data
14 periods
| Q1 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q3 '25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $6.02B | $3.26B | $3.66B | $4.89B | $2.61B | $5.80B | $7.34B | $4.65B | $5.38B | $8.38B | $3.26B | $6.01B | $9.47B | $4.69B |
| QoQ Change | — | -45.9% | +12.3% | +33.5% | -46.6% | +122.3% | +26.6% | -36.7% | +15.7% | +55.7% | -61.1% | +84.3% | +57.6% | -50.5% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | -18.8% | -19.9% | +58.6% | +50.3% | +78.2% | -7.2% | +14.1% | -29.9% | +11.6% | +13.0% | +43.8% |
Range$2.61B – $9.47B
CAGR-7.4%
Avg YoY Growth+17.6%
Median YoY Growth+13.0%
Operating Cash Flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Costco Wholesale's operating cash flow?
- Costco Wholesale (COST) reported operating cash flow of $4.69B in Q3 2025.
- How has Costco Wholesale's operating cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Costco Wholesale's operating cash flow increased by 43.8% year-over-year, from $3.26B to $4.69B.
- What does operating cash flow mean?
- The actual amount of cash a company brings in from its day-to-day business activities.