The business behind the dividend
| Measure | COST | Median | Formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 27.8% | 11.7% | Net income ÷ shareholders’ equity |
| Return on capital employed | 29.7% | 10.1% | Operating income ÷ (equity + total debt) |
| Owner earnings | $5.03bn | $632.00m | Net income + depreciation & amortisation − capital expenditure |
| Free cash flow | $7.84bn | $746.10m | Operating cash flow − capital expenditure |
| Operating margin | 3.8% | 15.0% | Operating income ÷ revenue |
| Net margin | 2.9% | 10.2% | Net income ÷ revenue |
| Debt to equity | 0.20x | 0.79x | Total debt ÷ shareholders’ equity |
| Interest cover | 67.42x | 4.43x | Operating income ÷ interest expense |
| Current ratio | 1.03x | 1.25x | Current assets ÷ current liabilities |
| Long-term debt to working capital | 4.49x | 2.30x | Long-term debt ÷ (current assets − current liabilities) |
| Cash conversion | 1.65x | 1.78x | Operating cash flow ÷ net income |
Ten years of it
The same measures, for every year the filings support. One year is a fact; a row is a business.
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 27.8% | 31.2% | 25.1% | 28.3% | 28.5% | 21.9% | 24.0% | 24.5% | 24.9% | 19.5% | 24.9% |
| Return on capital employed | 29.7% | 31.5% | 25.7% | 28.7% | 26.8% | 21.0% | 21.5% | 23.1% | 23.6% | 21.3% | 23.6% |
| Operating margin | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.3% |
| Net margin | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Debt to equity | 0.20x | 0.25x | 0.26x | 0.32x | 0.43x | 0.42x | 0.45x | 0.51x | 0.62x | 0.43x | 0.42x |
| Current ratio | 1.03x | 0.97x | 1.07x | 1.02x | 1.00x | 1.13x | 1.01x | 1.02x | 0.99x | 0.98x | 1.01x |
| Cash conversion | 1.65x | 1.54x | 1.76x | 1.26x | 1.79x | 2.21x | 1.74x | 1.84x | 2.51x | 1.40x | 1.74x |
How it compares in consumer discretionary
Among the 44 consumer discretionary companies here measured on free cash flow, Costco Wholesale pays out less than 31 of them. The median for that group is 37.5%, against this company’s 27.9%.
Closest on free cash flow
- Marriott International (MAR) 27.5%
- Travel & Leisure (TNL) 28.5%
- Ralph Lauren (RL) 29.0%
- Sherwin Williams (SHW) 29.8%
Same sector and same denominator, so the figures are comparable. All 48 in consumer discretionary →