Costco Wholesale Corporation

COST21 yrs growth

Consumer Defensive · Discount Stores · Stock · quarterly payer

$1,018.21

Overvalued · -52% Add to Portfolio

Forward Yield

0.58%

Annual Dividend

$5.88

Payout Ratio

27%

5-Yr Growth

13.0%

Ex-Date

Oct 30, 2026

Frequency

Quarterly

Key facts about COST's dividend

Data as of Oct 23, 2026 · Source: SmarterDividends data

As of Oct 23, 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) has a forward dividend yield of 0.58%, based on an annual dividend of $5.88 per share and a share price of $1,018.21.
As of Oct 23, 2026, COST's dividend safety grade from SmarterDividends is A (97 out of 100), which rates the dividend as very safe.
By SmarterDividends' count, Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) has raised its dividend for 21 consecutive years as of Oct 23, 2026.
COST has never cut its regular dividend in the payment history SmarterDividends has on record.
COST's next ex-dividend date is Oct 30, 2026, with payment on Nov 13, 2026. Shares must be owned before that date to receive the dividend.
As of Oct 23, 2026, COST pays out 27% of its trailing 12-month earnings as dividends (its payout ratio).
COST's dividend has grown at an average rate of 13.0% a year over the past five years.
As of Oct 23, 2026, COST's 0.58% yield is 51% below its five-year average yield of 1.19%.
As of Oct 23, 2026, SmarterDividends' blended fair-value estimate for COST is $487.61 per share, 52% below the $1,018.21 share price, so COST screens as overvalued.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) pays its dividend quarterly, 4 times a year.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) has raised its regular dividend 22 times and cut it 0 times across the 95 payments on record since 2004. Its most recent change was a 13.1% increase to $1.47 per share, going ex-dividend on May 1, 2026.
Costco (COST) has declared its first higher dividend of the year in April in 5 of the last 5 years; its most recent raise, 13.1%, was declared on Apr 15, 2026.

Cite this page

SmarterDividends, "COST Dividend: Yield, Safety Grade & Next Ex-Date," updated Oct 23, 2026, https://smarterdividends.com/stocks/COST

Summary

As of Oct 23, 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) yields 0.58% ($5.88 a year per share), has a dividend safety grade of A (97/100) and has 21 consecutive years of dividend increases on record.

Is COST a good dividend stock?

Yes

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) pays a quarterly dividend yielding 0.58% ($5.88/yr), with 21 years of growth and a dividend-safety grade of A. It scores well across payout coverage, growth history and safety — a dependable income holding.

Advantages

21 consecutive years of dividend growth
Never cut its dividend on record
Comfortable payout ratio (27%)
Strong 13.0% 5-yr dividend growth
86% total price return over 5 years
Top-tier dividend safety score

Risks

Single-stock concentration risk — diversify

Key Data

Dividend Yield: 0.58%
Payout Ratio: 27%
Annual Dividend: $5.88
5-Yr Avg Growth: 13.0%
Ex-Dividend Date: Oct 30, 2026
Years of Growth: 21
Frequency: quarterly
Beta: 0.87
Market Cap: $451.2B
P/E Ratio: 49.0
5-Yr Total Return: 86%
52-Week Range: $844.06 – $1,096.50
Dividend Safety: A · 97/100
Ever Cut?: No

COST dividend raises and cuts

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) has raised its regular dividend 22 times and cut it 0 times across the 95 payments on record since 2004. Its most recent change was a 13.1% increase to $1.47 per share, going ex-dividend on May 1, 2026.

Ex-date	Change	Old → new	Move
May 1, 2026	Raise	$1.30 → $1.47	+13.1%
May 2, 2025	Raise	$1.16 → $1.30	+12.1%
Apr 25, 2024	Raise	$1.02 → $1.16	+13.7%
May 4, 2023	Raise	$0.900 → $1.02	+13.3%
Apr 28, 2022	Raise	$0.790 → $0.900	+13.9%
Apr 29, 2021	Raise	$0.700 → $0.790	+12.9%
Apr 30, 2020	Raise	$0.650 → $0.700	+7.7%
May 9, 2019	Raise	$0.570 → $0.650	+14.0%
May 10, 2018	Raise	$0.500 → $0.570	+14.0%
May 10, 2017	Raise	$0.450 → $0.500	+11.1%
Apr 27, 2016	Raise	$0.400 → $0.450	+12.5%
Apr 29, 2015	Raise	$0.355 → $0.400	+12.7%

Show all 22 changes since 2005

Ex-date	Change	Old → new	Move
May 14, 2014	Raise	$0.310 → $0.355	+14.5%
May 15, 2013	Raise	$0.275 → $0.310	+12.7%
May 23, 2012	Raise	$0.240 → $0.275	+14.6%
May 11, 2011	Raise	$0.205 → $0.240	+17.1%
May 5, 2010	Raise	$0.180 → $0.205	+13.9%
May 13, 2009	Raise	$0.160 → $0.180	+12.5%
May 14, 2008	Raise	$0.145 → $0.160	+10.3%
Apr 25, 2007	Raise	$0.130 → $0.145	+11.5%
May 8, 2006	Raise	$0.115 → $0.130	+13.0%
May 4, 2005	Raise	$0.100 → $0.115	+15.0%

Every COST payment →Download every raise and cut (CSV)

COST ex-dividend date & scheduleNext ex-date Oct 30, 2026 · full ex-dividend historyView →COST dividend historyEvery payment, totals by year, raises and cutsView →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is COST a good dividend stock?

Yes. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) pays a quarterly dividend yielding 0.58% ($5.88/yr), with 21 years of growth and a dividend-safety grade of A. It scores well across payout coverage, growth history and safety — a dependable income holding.

Is COST undervalued?

Based on a blend of discounted cash flow, a dividend-discount model and an earnings-multiple estimate, COST's fair value is about $487.61 versus a $1,018.21 share price — so it looks overvalued (-52% vs. fair value).

Is COST's dividend safe?

COST has a dividend-safety grade of A (97/100), based on its payout coverage, free-cash-flow, 21-year growth streak, a clean no-cut history, debt and yield-versus-history.

What is COST's fair value?

Our blended fair-value estimate for COST is about $487.61 per share, about 52% below the current $1,018.21 price — combining a discounted cash flow, a dividend-discount model and an earnings multiple.

Is COST a buy, hold, or sell?

We don't issue formal ratings, but on the data COST screens as "yes" and overvalued. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) pays a quarterly dividend yielding 0.58% ($5.88/yr), with 21 years of growth and a dividend-safety grade of A. It scores well across payout coverage, growth history and safety — a dependable income holding. This is research for your own analysis, not investment advice.

Will COST cut its dividend?

COST earns a dividend-safety grade of A (97/100), with no dividend cut on record. A higher score means lower cut risk based on payout coverage, cash flow and history — but no score guarantees a dividend.

Does COST pay a dividend?

Yes. Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a quarterly dividend of about $5.88 per share annually, a forward yield of roughly 0.58%.

What is COST's dividend yield?

As of Oct 23, 2026, COST's forward dividend yield is 0.58%, based on a $5.88 annual dividend and a $1,018.21 share price.

What is COST's dividend per share?

As of Oct 23, 2026, COST pays $5.88 per share per year, distributed on a quarterly basis.

What is COST's dividend payout ratio?

As of Oct 23, 2026, COST's payout ratio is 27% of trailing 12-month earnings — a comfortable level that leaves room to keep raising the dividend.

How many years has COST grown its dividend?

As of Oct 23, 2026, COST has increased its dividend for 21 consecutive years.

When is the next COST ex-dividend date?

As of Oct 23, 2026, the next ex-dividend date on record for COST is Oct 30, 2026.

Dividend Growth

Total dividends per share by year

Dividend History

Full COST dividend history →

Ex-Date	Pay Date	Amount	Type
Jul 24, 2026	Aug 7, 2026	$1.4700	regular
May 1, 2026	May 15, 2026	$1.4700	regular
Jan 30, 2026	Feb 13, 2026	$1.3000	regular
Oct 31, 2025	Nov 14, 2025	$1.3000	regular
Aug 1, 2025	Aug 15, 2025	$1.3000	regular
May 2, 2025	May 16, 2025	$1.3000	regular
Feb 7, 2025	Feb 21, 2025	$1.1600	regular
Nov 1, 2024	Nov 15, 2024	$1.1600	regular
Jul 26, 2024	Aug 9, 2024	$1.1600	regular
Apr 25, 2024	May 10, 2024	$1.1600	regular
Feb 1, 2024	Feb 16, 2024	$1.0200	regular
Dec 27, 2023	Jan 12, 2024	$15.0000	regular
Nov 2, 2023	Nov 17, 2023	$1.0200	regular
Aug 24, 2023	Sep 8, 2023	$1.0200	regular