Costco Wholesale's Q4 Profit Delivery Better Than Feared, Oppenheimer Says

01:07 PM EDT, 09/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Costco Wholesale's (COST) fiscal Q4 profit beat expectations even excluding the benefit from tariff refunds, while solid comparable-sales growth continues to support the company's outlook, Oppenheimer said. The company's fiscal Q4 EPS of $6.75 beat Wall Street's view of $6.54, while EPS excluding tariff refund benefits of $6.60 was still slightly ahead of a consensus estimate of $6.54, the investment firm said in a Thursday note, adding that the beat was driven by expense controls and higher interest income. Costco Wholesale's Q4 adjusted US comparable sales excluding gas increased 7.2% on top of a 6% gain last year, with a seven-year stacked trend of 56.1% compared with 56.4% in Q3 and 57.6% in Q2, Oppenheimer noted. The investment firm continues to see the potential for a special dividend and/or stock split, which could represent positive catalysts down the road, the firm said. Oppenheimer has an outperform rating on the company's stock, with a $1,160 price target. Shares of Costco were up 2.3% in Friday afternoon trading. Price: 917.06, Change: +20.58, Percent Change: +2.30