Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

The balance sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company resources (assets) and its sources of capital (its equity and liabilities). It normally also provides information about the future earnings capacity of a company assets as well as an indication of cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.

Liabilities represents obligations of a company arising from past events, the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow of economic benefits from the entity.

Costco Wholesale Corp., consolidated balance sheet: liabilities and stockholders’ equity

US$ in millions

	Sep 1, 2024	Sep 3, 2023	Aug 28, 2022	Aug 29, 2021	Aug 30, 2020	Sep 1, 2019
Accounts payable	19,421)	17,483)	17,848)	16,278)	14,172)	11,679)
Accrued salaries and benefits	4,794)	4,278)	4,381)	4,090)	3,605)	3,176)
Accrued member rewards	2,435)	2,150)	1,911)	1,671)	1,393)	1,180)
Deferred membership fees	2,501)	2,337)	2,174)	2,042)	1,851)	1,711)
Current portion of long-term debt	103)	1,081)	73)	799)	95)	1,699)
Current finance lease liabilities	147)	129)	245)	72)	31)	26)
Other current liabilities	6,063)	6,125)	5,366)	4,489)	3,697)	3,766)
Current liabilities	35,464)	33,583)	31,998)	29,441)	24,844)	23,237)
Long-term debt, excluding current portion	5,794)	5,377)	6,484)	6,692)	7,514)	5,124)
Long-term operating lease liabilities	2,375)	2,426)	2,482)	2,642)	2,558)	—)
Long-term finance lease liabilities	1,351)	1,303)	1,383)	980)	657)	395)
Other long-term liabilities	1,225)	1,247)	1,172)	1,435)	1,278)	1,060)
Long-term liabilities	10,745)	10,353)	11,521)	11,749)	12,007)	6,579)
Total liabilities	46,209)	43,936)	43,519)	41,190)	36,851)	29,816)
Preferred stock $.005 par value; no shares issued and outstanding	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)
Common stock $.005 par value	2)	2)	2)	4)	4)	4)
Additional paid-in capital	7,829)	7,340)	6,884)	7,031)	6,698)	6,417)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(1,828)	(1,805)	(1,829)	(1,137)	(1,297)	(1,436)
Retained earnings	17,619)	19,521)	15,585)	11,666)	12,879)	10,258)
Total Costco stockholders’ equity	23,622)	25,058)	20,642)	17,564)	18,284)	15,243)
Noncontrolling interests	—)	—)	5)	514)	421)	341)
Total equity	23,622)	25,058)	20,647)	18,078)	18,705)	15,584)
Total liabilities and equity	69,831)	68,994)	64,166)	59,268)	55,556)	45,400)

Based on: 10-K (reporting date: 2024-09-01), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-09-03), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-08-28), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-08-29), 10-K (reporting date: 2020-08-30), 10-K (reporting date: 2019-09-01).

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Balance sheet item	Description	The company
Current liabilities	Total obligations incurred as part of normal operations that are expected to be paid during the following twelve months or within one business cycle, if longer.	Costco Wholesale Corp. current liabilities increased from 2022 to 2023 and from 2023 to 2024.
Long-term liabilities	Amount of obligation due after one year or beyond the normal operating cycle, if longer.	Costco Wholesale Corp. long-term liabilities decreased from 2022 to 2023 but then slightly increased from 2023 to 2024.
Total liabilities	Sum of the carrying amounts as of the balance sheet date of all liabilities that are recognized. Liabilities are probable future sacrifices of economic benefits arising from present obligations of an entity to transfer assets or provide services to other entities in the future.	Costco Wholesale Corp. total liabilities increased from 2022 to 2023 and from 2023 to 2024.
Total Costco stockholders’ equity	Total of all stockholders’ equity (deficit) items, net of receivables from officers, directors, owners, and affiliates of the entity which are attributable to the parent. The amount of the economic entity stockholders’ equity attributable to the parent excludes the amount of stockholders’ equity which is allocable to that ownership interest in subsidiary equity which is not attributable to the parent (noncontrolling interest, minority interest). This excludes temporary equity and is sometimes called permanent equity.	Costco Wholesale Corp. total Costco stockholders’ equity increased from 2022 to 2023 but then slightly decreased from 2023 to 2024.

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST)

Balance Sheet: Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity