During the past 12 months, Costco Wholesale's average Dividends Per Share Growth Rate was 12.30% per year.
During the past 3 years, the average Dividends Per Share Growth Rate was 13.30% per year.
During the past 5 years, the average Dividends Per Share Growth Rate was 13.00% per year.
During the past 10 years, the average Dividends Per Share Growth Rate was 12.40% per year.
During the past 13 years, the highest 3-Year average Dividends Per Share Growth Rate of Costco Wholesale was 40.10% per year. The lowest was 11.50% per year. And the median was 12.80% per year.
The growth rate is calculated with least square regression.
For more information regarding to dividend, please check our Dividend Page.
Over the long term, the return from dividends has been a significant contributor to the total returns produced by equity securities. Studies by Elroy Dimson, Paul Marsh, and Mike Staunton of Princeton University (2002) found that a market-oriented portfolio, which included reinvested dividends, would have generated nearly 85 times the wealth generated by the same portfolio relying solely on capital gains.
Dividends may also qualify a lower tax rate for investors.
In dividends investing, Payout Ratio and Dividend Growth Rate are the two most important variables for consideration. A lower payout ratio may indicate that the company has more room to increase its dividends.
Costco Wholesale Forward Dividend Yield % Related Terms
COST vs TGT, DG, DLTR: Forward Dividend Yield % Comparison
For the Discount Stores subindustry, Costco Wholesale's Forward Dividend Yield %, along with its competitors' market caps and Forward Dividend Yield % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Costco Wholesale Forward Dividend Yield % vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Costco Wholesale's Forward Dividend Yield % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Costco Wholesale's Forward Dividend Yield % falls into.
Dividend Yield measures how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its share price.
Costco Wholesale Recent Full-Year* Dividend History
Amount
Ex-date
Record Date
Pay Date
Type
Frequency
Forex Rate
USD 1.470000
2026-05-01
2026-05-01
2026-05-15
Cash Dividend
quarterly
USD:USD 1.000000
USD 1.300000
2026-01-30
2026-01-30
2026-02-13
Cash Dividend
quarterly
USD:USD 1.000000
USD 1.300000
2025-10-31
2025-10-31
2025-11-14
Cash Dividend
quarterly
USD:USD 1.000000
USD 1.300000
2025-08-01
2025-08-01
2025-08-15
Cash Dividend
quarterly
USD:USD 1.000000
* GuruFocus has an internal rule that if the most recent dividend payment frequency is at least 4 times a year, then the full year will be calculated according to the frequency of payment or the one-year time frame, whichever is stricter.
* GuruFocus converts dividend currency to local traded share price currency in order to calculate dividend yield. Please refer to the last column "Forex Rate" in the above table.
Costco Wholesale's Forward Annual Dividend Yield (%) for Today is calculated as
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
What does a Forward Dividend Yield % of 0.61% mean?
Costco Wholesale (COST) has a Forward Dividend Yield % of 0.61% as of Jun. 24, 2026. Forward dividend yield is the ratio of company's expected dividends to the share price. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #188 out of 196 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 95.9%.
Is Costco Wholesale's Forward Dividend Yield % too high?
Costco Wholesale's current Forward Dividend Yield % is 0.61%. The Retail - Defensive industry median Forward Dividend Yield % is 2.93. Costco Wholesale's value of 0.61% is 79.2% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #188 out of 196 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Costco Wholesale has a GF Score™ of 97/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Costco Wholesale's Forward Dividend Yield % compare to TGT and DG?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #188 out of 196 companies for Forward Dividend Yield %. This places Costco Wholesale in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Forward Dividend Yield % is 2.93. Costco Wholesale's value of 0.61% is 79.2% below this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Forward Dividend Yield % for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Forward Dividend Yield % among Retail - Defensive companies is 2.93, based on 196 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Forward Dividend Yield % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Forward Dividend Yield % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Costco Wholesale's current Forward Dividend Yield % of 0.61% is 79.2% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Forward Dividend Yield % mean?
A high Forward Dividend Yield % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Forward dividend yield is the ratio of company's expected dividends to the share price. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Forward Dividend Yield % is 2.93 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Costco Wholesale's current Forward Dividend Yield % is 0.61%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Costco Wholesale stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Costco Wholesale (COST) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $1,014.93, compared to a current price of $960.97 — trading 5.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Forward Dividend Yield % is 0.61% and 79.2% below the Retail - Defensive industry median of 2.93. Costco Wholesale's overall GF Score™ is 97/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Forward Dividend Yield % calculated?
Forward Dividend Yield % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Costco Wholesale (COST), the current Forward Dividend Yield % is 0.61% as of Jun. 24, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Costco Wholesale (COST) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Costco Wholesale stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $960.97 is trading 5.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of $1,014.93.
GuruFocus considers Costco Wholesale to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for COST:
Forward Dividend Yield %: 0.61%
GF Value™: $1,014.93 vs. price of $960.97 (5.3% below fair value)
Industry Position: 79.2% below the Retail - Defensive median (#188 of 196)
No single metric tells the full story. See the COST stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Founded in 1983, Costco Wholesale now operates a global chain of membership-based warehouse clubs, delivering high-quality goods and services at consistently low prices. As of its most recent fiscal year, Costco operated approximately 910 warehouses, serving more than 80 million members across its three geographic segments: Costco US (approximately 73% of total revenue), Costco Canada (13%), and Costco International (14%).Costco's core value proposition—quality products at unbeatable prices—has yielded consistently strong member renewal rates (93% in the US and Canada and nearly 90% internationally). About 55% of Costco's fiscal 2025 revenue came from its grocery offerings, and another 25% from general merchandise.
97GF Score
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