Costco Wholesale COST Operating margin
Operating margin at other companies
Other financials
Where this comes from
Calculated from Costco Wholesale’s reported figures.
Based on trailing twelve months.
The official record: Costco Wholesale’s 10-Q, filed June 3, 2026, on SEC EDGAR. View the filing →
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Questions, answered.
- What is Costco Wholesale's operating margin?
- Costco Wholesale (COST) reported operating margin of 3.8% in Q1 2026.
- How has Costco Wholesale's operating margin changed year-over-year?
- Costco Wholesale's operating margin increased by 1.9% year-over-year, from 3.8% to 3.8%.
- What is the long-term trend for Costco Wholesale's operating margin?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Costco Wholesale's operating margin has grown at a 2.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from 13.5% to 14.9%.
- What does operating margin mean?
- The profit left from core operations for every dollar of sales, before interest and taxes.
- How do you interpret operating margin?
- Expanding operating margin shows operating leverage — revenue growing faster than the cost base. Compression points to rising overhead, pricing pressure, or investment ahead of revenue.
- How does operating margin compare across companies?
- Strong cross-company signal within a sector. Capital-light businesses sustain higher operating margins than capital-intensive ones.