Costco Wholesale Corporation's ancillary businesses delivered strong results in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, with gross margin for ancillary and other businesses rising 23 basis points year over year and 32 basis points excluding gasoline inflation, while comparable sales in ancillary operations surged in the high 20s percentage range on strength in gasoline, pharmacy and travel. Costco's gasoline business reached record volumes in fiscal 2026 as U.S. member household penetration hit an all-time high, saving members an estimated $3.2 billion at the pump versus regional market averages, and the company expanded 26 high-volume U.S. gas stations to support throughput. The pharmacy department posted nearly 20% sales growth, aided by digital options such as Rx Mobile Pay Ahead and Pickup Lockers plus specialized GLP-1 and fertility programs, yielding double-digit script growth that helped offset Medicare Maximum Fair Price adjustments, and Costco announced a partnership with SCAN Health Systems to develop Medicare Advantage benefits. Costco Travel achieved double-digit growth across vacation packages, cruises and car rentals, with cruise bookings up 16% and more than 750,000 members sent on cruises during the fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Costco's current fiscal-year sales and earnings per share implies year-over-year growth of 8.3% and 11.8%, respectively, and over the past seven days the current fiscal-year earnings estimate rose 36 cents to $22.87 per share while the next fiscal-year estimate rose 44 cents to $24.94 per share.
Costco Wholesale CorpRecord gasoline volumes, ~20% pharmacy sales growth, and double-digit travel growth drove strong ancillary comparable sales.
Dollar General Corporation
Target CorporationCostco announced a partnership with SCAN Health Systems to develop Medicare Advantage benefits.
