Costco unveils $30 special dividend, new buyback

Costco Wholesale Corporation has declared a special cash dividend of $30 per share. The distribution represents a total payment of approximately $13.3 billion to shareholders. The special dividend is payable on December 4, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 24, 2026. This payout is in addition to Costco’s regular quarterly dividend and constitutes a significant cash return to equity holders in a single event.

The company describes the payment as a special cash dividend on Costco common stock. By setting a defined record date and payment date, Costco provides clarity on when investors must be on the share register to receive the distribution and when the cash is scheduled to be delivered.

Alongside the special dividend, Costco’s board has reauthorized a common‑stock repurchase program permitting purchases of up to $4 billion. The renewed authorization runs through November 2030, giving the company several years of potential flexibility to repurchase its shares in the open market or through other approved methods. The authorization size is stated as a ceiling on repurchases rather than a commitment to deploy the full amount.

This new program replaces a prior $4 billion repurchase authorization that was adopted in 2023 and had been scheduled to expire in January 2027. Under that earlier plan, Costco had already repurchased $3.1 billion of its common stock before the authorization was superseded by the new program. The replacement ensures that repurchase capacity is extended further into the future while resetting the total authorization amount.

Taken together, the $30 per share special dividend and the reauthorized $4 billion buyback outline Costco’s current capital return approach. The one‑time cash dividend delivers a sizable distribution on a defined timetable, while the multi‑year repurchase authorization offers an additional mechanism for returning capital over time. The combined use of dividends and buybacks allows Costco to deploy a substantial amount of cash to shareholders while retaining discretion over the pace and scale of future share repurchases within the authorized limit.

The company notes that these measures apply across its global equity holder base, which includes investors in its 945 warehouses and related e‑commerce operations. By specifying the total dividend value, per‑share amount, record date, payment date, and repurchase capacity and expiry, Costco provides investors with detailed information on the scope and timing of its announced capital return initiatives.