Should You Buy Costco Stock Before Sept. 24? History Has a Clear Answer.
Key Points
Costco reports Q3 earnings after the market closes on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Over the past two years, the stock has almost always moved in one direction after earnings.
Warehouse club Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) reports earnings after market close on Thursday. Analysts have high hopes for the company, projecting revenue of about $94.9 billion and earnings per share of between $6.53 and $6.55. But the real question is whether the stock is worth buying ahead of earnings. And its recent history offers a clear answer.
Here's the clear historical trend you should know about before you consider buying Costco shares ahead of earnings.
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A clear two-year trend
I looked at the history of Costco's share price over the last two years, and was shocked by what I found.
Since September 2024, Costco has issued eight quarterly earnings reports. And the stock has dropped after six of them:
Data by YCharts.
Even worse, the only two earnings reports that didn't precede a clear drop were in June 2025 and March 2026. Even then, the results were "inconclusive."
June 2025 featured a small drop, followed by a medium pop, followed by a large decline. In March 2026, the stock had a small immediate drop followed by a small pop that left the share price largely unchanged.
You'd have to go all the way back to June 2024 to find a clear post-earnings increase in Costco's share price. That's one of the clearest trends I've ever seen.
I think Costco is an excellent long-term buy-and-hold stock, but if recent history is any guide, investors will probably be able to pick up shares for a lower price after its earnings report. I wouldn't worry about rushing out to buy shares before the 24th: I'd wait to see what Thursday's report brings.
John Bromels has positions in Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.