Costco continues to accelerate its new-warehouse openings, targeting 30 to 35 net new warehouses in fiscal 2026, up from 28 in the prior year. The company is repurposing underutilized real estate—such as converting former big-box retail sites into membership warehouses—reducing construction timelines by an average of three months per project. This strategy helped deliver an 8.2% comparable-sales increase in the fiscal first quarter ended November 23, 2025, and supports management’s goal of mid-teens total revenue growth over the next five years in mature markets.

An investment of $1,000 in Costco shares two decades ago, compounded with dividends, would now be worth approximately $27,600—more than three times the $7,900 equivalent in the S&P 500. Even after a 6% share-price decline in 2025, the warehouse club’s steadfast membership model and high renewal rate (roughly 90%) sustained high-single-digit net sales growth, underscoring the resilience of its low-price, membership-driven business.

In late 2025, Costco quietly increased the gas-pump cash-back rate for co-branded cardholders from 4% to 5% on purchases at warehouse stations, up to $7,000 in annual spending. This change raises the maximum annual fuel rebate from $280 to $350 and reinforces the value proposition of its Citi-issued Visa card. Other card benefits—3% on restaurants and travel, 2% on in-warehouse purchases and 1% on all other spending—remain unchanged, helping to drive member upgrades and sustain the company’s high renewal rates.

Costco’s dividend yield stands at approximately 0.53%, lower than peers, but the company has increased its payout every year since reintroducing dividends in 2004. Coupled with share buybacks—the board authorized an additional $9 billion repurchase program in mid-2025—Costco’s capital-return philosophy reinforces its commitment to rewarding shareholders while preserving cash for strategic expansion.