Costco's Quarterly Results in the Spotlight for Investors

In this week's relatively busy corporate calendar, investors' attention will be drawn to Costco Wholesale's fiscal fourth-quarter results. The company will release its financial report on September 24, after market close.

In May, Costco beat sales forecasts in the third quarter, driven significantly by increased demand for cheap gasoline, particularly during a period of high energy prices. The company's latest results also indicate that, due to high inflation, American households are holding back from large purchases, although demand for more affordably priced products remains strong.

The company is also trying to keep food prices, especially beef prices, from rising. This policy put some pressure on Costco's margins in the third quarter. At the same time, in the third quarter ended in May, the company's revenue reached $69.15 billion, an 11.6% year-over-year increase.

Preliminary fourth-quarter sales data were also strong: over the 16-week period, Costco's net sales reached $93.9 billion, an 11.3% increase compared to the same period last year. Excluding the impact of price and currency fluctuations, comparable sales grew by 6.7%.

Costco's shares are up more than 4% since the start of the year, though ahead of the quarterly results release, market attention will be focused on sales growth alongside the company's margins and consumer spending trends.