Costco Wholesale Posts Higher Q4 Profit - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Membership warehouses operator Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) reported a rise in fourth-quarter net income to $697 million, or $1.58 per share, from $617 million, or $1.40 per share, a year before. On average, 26 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings per share of $1.52 for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

Net sales for the fourth quarter reached $34.75 billion, a nine percent increase from $31.77 billion last year; whereas 23 analysts projected revenue of $35.47 billion. Comparable sales for the 16-week period went up by 6% for the total company. Excluding negative impacts from gasoline price deflation and foreign exchange, 16-week total comparable sales rose by 7%.

For the month of September, the firm posted net sales of $10.57 billion, up seven percent, compared with the prior year's $9.86 billion. Five-week comparable sales for the total company climbed by 4%, while it was up 6% before negative impacts from gasoline price deflation and foreign exchange.