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Costco Earnings Ignite Case for Consumer Staples

BY | ETF Database
8:16 am ET 09/28/26 | 18 VIEWS
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  • XLP
Costco’s fiscal year 2026 has officially concluded, and the retailing giant certainly closed out on a high note.Key Takeaways Costco recently released its Q4 2026 and fiscal year 2026 operating results, which showcased compelling sales growth and outpaced analyst expectations. This performance may reinforce confidence in the consumer staples sector, which has seen dwindling enthusiasm amid persistent inflation. State Street provides access to Costco and other consumer staples giants through the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP A). The Q4 2026 and fiscal year 2026 operating results for Costco were released on Thursday, September 24. Looking at the Q4 earnings first, the numbers soundly topped the expectations of Wall Street analysts. For Q4 2026, Costco reported earnings per share of $6.75, along with revenue of $95.7 billion. Both of these figures came in higher than the analyst consensus. Meanwhile, net sales during the quarter came in at $93.9 billion. This represents a gain of 11.2% over Q4 2025’s report. See More: With Rates on the Rise, Lean Into the Financials Sector For the entire fiscal year, Costco reported net sales of $297.2 billion. Again, this was a significant leap over fiscal year 2025 net sales for the retailer. Back in fiscal year 2025, Costco’s net sales were $269.9 billion, so the fiscal year 2026 sales represent a jump of 10.1%. “We are incredibly proud of our team and the great results they delivered in fiscal year 2026,” said Gary Millerchip, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Costco. “As in the past, during times of wider market uncertainty, we believe our commitment to taking care of our members and delivering highly relevant products and services at the lowest price present opportunities for Costco to continue to grow our top-line sales and market share in fiscal year 2027.” See More: Staples ETF Widens Gap Over Discretionary in 2026Buy Into the Consumer Staples Opportunity Set With XLPCostco’s compelling report may help inspire more investor confidence in the consumer staples sector. Yes, persistent inflation has somewhat weakened the case for consumer staples, but companies like Costco are proving that there are still valuable opportunities within the sector. For those who believe that consumer staples warrants a closer look, the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP A) is a compelling option to keep an eye on.. XLP leverages the ease of the ETF wrapper to offer investment exposure to the consumer staples sector of the S&P 500. While there are many notable consumer staples giants within the fund’s portfolio, Costco remains a key holding for the fund. As of September 24, 2026, Costco constitutes about 8% of XLP’s portfolio weight. This may give advisors and investors more confidence for buying in to the fund. For more news, information, and analysis, visit our Sector Investing Content Hub.

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