Costco Delivers Impressive March Comparable Sales Performance

Costco Wholesale Corporation COST continued with its decent comparable sales growth in March. The performance reflects Costco’s ability to attract value-conscious shoppers with its competitive pricing and high-quality offerings.Decoding COST’s March CompsCOST’s comparable sales for March reflect its market strength. For the five weeks ended April 6, 2025, comparable sales in the United States, Canada and Other International markets grew 7.5%, 4.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Total company comparable sales rose 6.4%. This followed increases of 6.5% and 7.5% in February and January, respectively.Thanks to the calendar shift of Easter, March included an extra shopping day compared to the same month last year, contributing roughly one and one-half percent to both total and comparable sales.When adjusting for the effects of gasoline prices and foreign exchange rates, Costco’s comparable sales paint an impressive picture. In the United States, comparable sales, excluding these factors, rose 8.7% in March, while Canada and Other International markets posted gains of 10.6% and 9.9%, respectively. The company’s total comparable sales, excluding these external factors, increased 9.1%.Costco's e-commerce comparable sales jumped 16.2% or 17.5% when adjusted for gasoline prices and foreign exchange fluctuations.As a result, Costco's net sales for March increased 8.6% to $25.51 billion, up from $23.48 billion in the same period last year. This follows a sales improvement of 8.8% and 9.2% reported in February and January, respectively, reflecting a strong and consistent sales performance in the past few months.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 31.8% in the past year compared with the Retail – Discount Stores industry’s rise of 6.3%.3 Picks You Can’t Miss Out OnSprouts Farmers SFM, which is engaged in the retailing of fresh, natural and organic food products, currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). SFM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.1%, 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 11.9% and 24.3%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.United Natural Foods UNFI, which, together with its subsidiaries, distributes natural, organic, specialty, produce, and conventional grocery and non-food products in the United States and Canada, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). UNFI has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 408.7%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for United Natural Foods’ current financial year sales calls for growth of 1.9% from the year-ago reported numbers.Farmer Bros. Co. FARM, a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of coffee, tea and culinary products, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. FARM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 34.9%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FARM’s current financial-year sales and earnings suggests growth of 3.3% and 25%, respectively, from the year-ago reported numbers.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.9% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>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 Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis Report United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI): Free Stock Analysis Report Farmer Brothers Company (FARM): Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM): 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