04:30 PM EDT, 04/10/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Costco Wholesale ( COST ) reported late Wednesday net sales of $23.48 billion for the five weeks ended April 7, up 9.4% from a year earlier.

Net sales for the first 31 weeks rose 6.4% year on year to $146.64 billion, the retailer said.

The March retail month was impacted by Easter's shift in timing, which "positively impacted total and comparable sales by approximately one-half percent," the company said.

Costco also said its board has hiked its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share from $1.02, payable May 10 to shareholders of record on April 26.

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