3 Things Costco Wants You to Know

Many retailers are posting improving operating results these days as consumer spending marches higher. But the numbers that Costco (NASDAQ: COST) just announced stand out as particularly strong. The warehouse giant on Thursday revealed sharply higher sales growth -- both in its stores and online -- spiking membership fees, and a healthy jump in net income.

Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti held a conference call with Wall Street analysts to put those operating trends into perspective. Below are a few highlights from that presentation (all quotes are Galanti's).

First-quarter traffic was up 5.9% worldwide and 6.6% in the U.S.

Source: Fool.com