Costco Wholesale US Comparable Sales Surge 5% In December

Costco Wholesale Corp. COST reported a 3% gain its same-store sales for the five weeks ended January 4. For the U.S., Costco's comparable sales surged 5%, while sales dropped 1% internationally. Excluding negative impacts from gas prices and foreign exchange, Costco's sales climbed 8%. Total sales jumped 5% to $12.12 billion in the period, from $11.53 billion. For the eighteen weeks ended January 4, 2015, Costco's net sales climbed 7% y/y to $40.85 billion from $38.33 billion. Costco shares gained 1.74% to close at $144.32 yesterday.