Costco Sales Surge in May: E-Commerce Leads the Way With a 12% Jump

Costco Wholesale Corporation COST maintained its decent comparable sales growth trend in May, underscoring continued appeal among value-focused shoppers. Costco’s ability to offer quality merchandise at competitive pricing — both in-store and through its growing e-commerce platform — remains a key draw for consumers navigating an inflationary environment.Decoding Costco’s May Comparable SalesFor the four weeks ended June 1, 2025, Costco reported a 4.3% year-over-year increase in total company comparable sales. Regionally, comparable sales rose 4.1% in the United States, 3.3% in Canada and 6.6% in Other International markets. This follows gains of 4.4% in April and 6.4% in March, signaling consistent momentum.On an adjusted basis, excluding the impacts of gasoline price fluctuations and foreign exchange, comparable sales were even more robust. U.S. comps climbed 5.5%, while Canada and Other International markets posted increases of 6.3% and 8.4%, respectively. Overall, total company comps, excluding these factors, grew 6%, following strong rises of 6.7% in April and 9.1% in March.E-commerce also remained a bright spot, with comparable sales surging 11.6%, or 12% when adjusted for fuel and currency headwinds. This builds on gains of 12.6% in April and 16.2% in March, reflecting sustained strength in Costco’s online channel.As a result, Costco's net sales for May increased 6.8% to $20.97 billion, up from $19.64 billion in the same period last year. This follows a sales improvement of 7% and 8.6% reported in April and March, respectively.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchCostco’s Consistent Growth Keeps Investors OptimisticCostco’s resilient business model, centered around a membership-based structure, continues to be a major growth driver. The company’s high membership renewal rates, coupled with its efficient supply-chain management and bulk purchasing power, ensure competitive pricing and customer loyalty.Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have advanced 19.6% in the past year compared with the Retail – Discount Stores industry’s rise of 10.7%.Picks You Can’t Miss Out OnSprouts Farmers SFM, which is engaged in the retailing of fresh, natural and organic food products, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). SFM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 16.5%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sprouts Farmers’ current financial-year sales and earnings implies growth of 13.7% and 35.5%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings BJ, one of the leading operators of membership warehouse clubs, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). BJ has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.7%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BJ's Wholesale Club’s current financial-year sales and earnings calls for growth of 5.5% and 6.2%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.Grocery Outlet GO, an extreme value retailer of quality, name-brand consumables and fresh products, carries a Zacks Rank #2. GO has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 25.7%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Grocery Outlet’s current financial-year sales suggests growth of around 7.9% from the year-ago reported numbers.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockIt's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (BJ): Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM): Free Stock Analysis Report Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. (GO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks