COST Stock — Costco Wholesale Corporation

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST)

Updated October 16, 2026.

COST is a Stock. its distribution rate is 0.59%, its trailing-12-month yield is 0.56%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 92/100 (Safe). Total return is 91620.1% over the past 40.9 years.

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership-only warehouse clubs across the United States and internationally, selling a wide range of merchandise including groceries, electronics, apparel, and fresh food, along with ancillary services such as pharmacies, gas stations, and food courts. The company pays a modest current distribution rate on a quarterly basis. Costco appeals to income investors seeking dividend exposure within the retail and consumer discretionary sector, though the company is primarily known as a growth and value business rather than a high-yield income play.

COST performance

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 91620.1% over the past 40.9 years. Over the past year its total return — price change plus distributions reinvested — is 7.5%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 18.2%.

COST key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

92 · Safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

0.54%

Asset type

Stock

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

11/27/1985

Distribution rate

0.59%

Distribution frequency

Quarterly

Trailing yield

0.56%

5-year average yield

0.57

Last close

$989.11 (as of 2026-10-16)

Market cap

$438,303,670,389

Average volume

2515007.0

Dividend

$1.47

Ex-dividend date

10/30/2026

Payment date

11/13/2026

Beta

0.87

Payout ratio

27.7%

P/E ratio

47.64

Forward P/E

40.3226

EPS

$20.76

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (0.59%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (0.56%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

COST risks and drawbacks

COST's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are quarterly, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 18.2%.

Who may consider COST — and who may not

COST may suit someone looking for a high Distribution Safety Score. It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (COST pays quarterly); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

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Tagged: Dividend.

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Frequently asked questions