Costco Wholesale's EBITDA per Share for the
three
months ended in May. 2026 was $8.03.
Its EBITDA per Share for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 was $32.54.
During the past 12 months, the average EBITDA per Share Growth Rate of Costco Wholesale was 11.90% per year.
During the past 3 years, the average EBITDA per Share Growth Rate was 10.60% per year.
During the past 5 years, the average EBITDA per Share Growth Rate was 12.80% per year.
During the past 10 years, the average EBITDA per Share Growth Rate was 11.30% per year.
Please click Growth Rate Calculation Example (GuruFocus) to see how GuruFocus calculates Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT)'s revenue growth rate. You can apply the same method to get the EBITDA per Share growth rate using EBITDA per Share data.
The historical rank and industry rank for Costco Wholesale's EBITDA per Share or its related term are showing as below:
COST'
s 3-Year EBITDA Growth Rate Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -10.9 Med: 10.1 Max: 62
Current: 10.6
During the past 13 years, the highest 3-Year average EBITDA per Share Growth Rate of Costco Wholesale was 62.00% per year. The lowest was -10.90% per year. And the median was 10.10% per year.
COST's 3-Year EBITDA Growth Rate is ranked better than 53.14% of 271
companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 9.3
vs COST: 10.60
During the past 12 months, the average EBITDA Growth Rate of Costco Wholesale was 11.80% per year.
During the past 3 years, the average EBITDA Growth Rate was 10.60% per year.
During the past 5 years, the average EBITDA Growth Rate was 12.80% per year.
During the past 10 years, the average EBITDA Growth Rate was 11.40% per year.
Please click Growth Rate Calculation Example (GuruFocus) to see how GuruFocus calculates Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT)'s revenue growth rate. You can apply the same method to get the EBITDA Growth Rate using EBITDA data.
During the past 13 years, the highest 3-Year average EBITDA Growth Rate of Costco Wholesale was 77.10% per year. The lowest was -9.80% per year. And the median was 10.70% per year.
Costco Wholesale (NAS:COST) EBITDA per Share Explanation
EBITDA is a cash flow measure that ignores changes in working capital. EBITDA minus Depreciation, and Amortization (DA) equals EBIT. EBIT is profit before interest and taxes. Of course, Interest and taxes need to be paid.
While depreciation and amortization expenses do not need to be paid in cash, assets - especially tangible assets - do need to be replaced over time. EBITDA is not a measure of profit in any sense. EBITDA is a measure of cash generation by a business where the uses of that cash may be more or less discretionary depending on the nature of the business.
The EBITDA of a TV station is largely discretionary. Owners may use much of the EBITDA generated by a TV station as they see fit. The EBITDA of a railroad is largely non-discretionary. Owners must use much of the EBITDA generated by a railroad to replace the physical assets of the railroad or the business will literally fall apart over time.
EBITDA can be thought of as the cash a business generates that is available to:
Add more inventory
Add more receivables
Replace property, plant, and equipment
Add more property, plant, and equipment
Pay interest
Pay taxes
And finally: pay owners
EBITDA is widely used in financial analysis because Depreciation and Amortization are not present day cash expenses. Depreciation and amortization are the spreading out of the costs of assets over the time in which those assets provide benefits. Today's depreciation and amortization expenses relate to assets bought in the past. The assets being expensed may or may not need to be replaced in the future. And the cost to replace the assets may be more or less than it was in the past. For this reason, the depreciation and amortization expenses a company records in the present year may have no relationship to the actual cash costs needed to maintain its assets in future years.
A company's depreciation expense depends on both its expectations about the assets it owns and its choice of accounting methods. Two companies owning identical assets may have different depreciation expenses because they have different expectations about the useful lives of those assets and because they make different accounting choices.
Analysts use EBITDA to remove this element of personal choice from a company's accounting statements. The use of EBITDA is an attempt to make the results of different companies more comparable and uniform.
Be Aware
Although depreciation is not a cash cost, it is a real business cost because the company has to pay for the fixed assets when they purchase them. Both Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger hate the idea of EBITDA because in this calculation, depreciation is not counted as an expense.
EBITDA over Revenue is a good metric for comparing the operating efficiencies between companies because EBITDA is less vulnerable to companies' accounting choices. For this reason, EBITDA is used in ranking the Predictability of Companies.
Costco Wholesale EBITDA per Share Related Terms
Costco Wholesale EBITDA per Share Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Costco Wholesale's EBITDA per Share can be seen below:
* 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.
EBITDA per Share is the amount of Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) per outstanding share of the company's stock.
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) is what the company earns before it expenses interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
Costco Wholesale's EBITDA per Share for the fiscal year that ended in Aug. 2025 is calculated as
EBITDA per Share for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in May. 2026 adds up the quarterly data reported by the company within the most recent 12 months, which was $32.54
* 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.
Costco Wholesale (COST) has a EBITDA per Share of $32.54 as of May. 2026. EBITDA per share is the per-share amount of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #127 out of 271 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 46.9%.
Is Costco Wholesale's EBITDA per Share too high?
Costco Wholesale's current EBITDA per Share is $32.54. The Retail - Defensive industry median EBITDA per Share is 9.30. Costco Wholesale's value of $32.54 is 249.9% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #127 out of 271 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is above the industry midpoint. 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 EBITDA per Share compare to TGT and DG?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #127 out of 271 companies for EBITDA per Share. This puts Costco Wholesale in the upper half of its industry. The industry median EBITDA per Share is 9.30. Costco Wholesale's value of $32.54 is 249.9% above this benchmark. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good EBITDA per Share for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median EBITDA per Share among Retail - Defensive companies is 9.30, based on 271 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a EBITDA per Share significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, EBITDA per Share should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Costco Wholesale's current EBITDA per Share of $32.54 is 249.9% above 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 EBITDA per Share mean?
A high EBITDA per Share can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. EBITDA per share is the per-share amount of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median EBITDA per Share is 9.30 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Costco Wholesale's current EBITDA per Share is $32.54. 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 $1,015.53, compared to a current price of $957.75 — trading 5.7% below its estimated fair value. The current EBITDA per Share is $32.54 and 249.9% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 9.30. 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 EBITDA per Share calculated?
EBITDA per Share is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Costco Wholesale (COST), the current EBITDA per Share is $32.54 as of May. 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 $957.75 is trading 5.7% below its estimated GF Value™ of $1,015.53.
GuruFocus considers Costco Wholesale to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for COST:
EBITDA per Share: $32.54
GF Value™: $1,015.53 vs. price of $957.75 (5.7% below fair value)
Industry Position: 249.9% above the Retail - Defensive median (#127 of 271)
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
Get the complete analysis for COST
EBITDA per Share is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
COST has been successfully added to your 
