Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation ( COST ) dropped marginally by 0.4% following comparable-store sales results for July, the four weeks ended Aug 3, 2014, that fell short of analysts' expectations. Excluding the effect of deflation in gasoline prices and impact of foreign currency fluctuations, Costco's comparable-store sales for July rose 6%, reflecting comparable sales growth of 5% at its U.S. locations and 7% at international outlets. Coming to Costco, comparable-store sales for the 48-week period increased 4%, buoyed by 5% growth in the U.S. and 3% increase at international locations.