Costco (COST) news that moved the stock

What happened

Costco's board declared a special cash dividend of $30 per share on Tuesday, Nov 10 — a record one-off payout worth about $13.3 billion in total, double the $15 special dividend Costco last paid. The dividend is payable Dec 4, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on Nov 24. The board also approved a new $4 billion share repurchase program running through November 2030, replacing the 2023 authorization (due to expire January 2027) under which $3.1 billion had already been spent. Costco shares gained overnight after the announcement. The company gave no executive commentary and did not say how the dividend or buyback would be funded.

What happened

Costco reported fiscal Q4 2026 results after the close on September 24 (the 16 weeks ended August 30, 2026): diluted EPS of $6.75, ahead of the ~$6.52 consensus, and total revenue of $95.72 billion, up 11.1% and ahead of the ~$94.8B consensus. However, $0.15 of the EPS figure was a non-recurring benefit from tariff refunds under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act — removing it leaves $6.60, only about $0.07 above consensus. Net sales rose 11.2% to $93.9B, membership fees rose 7.3% to $1.85B (notably slower than recent quarters), comparable sales rose 9.4% — or 6.7% excluding gasoline and currency — and digitally enabled comps jumped 19.5%. Shares traded roughly flat after hours.