Why is investing in Costco a good idea?
Costco's stock does not decline often. With its excellent management team, earnings out-performance, and focus on rewarding shareholders, Costco's share price consistently rises. Investors waiting for a pullback could be waiting a longtime.
It has a differentiated operating model that breeds loyalty and high sales and is resilient during challenging times. Some investors think that Costco stock is too expensive to buy right now, and valuation should certainly be a factor in your investing decisions.
COST boasts a Growth Style Score of A and VGM Score of A, and holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) rating. Its bottom-line is projected to rise 8.9% year-over-year for 2024, while Wall Street anticipates its top line to improve by 4.1%. Eight analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days for fiscal 2024.
The company's ability to manage inventory and adjust pricing to enhance member loyalty and frequency is also a positive indicator. With a balance sheet considered best-in-class, showing significant net cash even after substantial dividend payments, Costco stands out with solid financial health.
Costco's financial success has been driven by its membership model. Memberships drive customer loyalty while producing high-margin revenue. Costco's stock has been a huge winner, and its valuation is excessive.
Earnings and sales are forecasted to increase 7.3% and 4.1% year-over-year, respectively. Six analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.07 to $15.76 per share for 2024. COST boasts an average earnings surprise of 2.6%.
The company's focus on membership, bulk sales, great private-label goods, and employee satisfaction creates a powerful competitive advantage. Investors with a long-term horizon may want to consider buying Costco now, even at a lofty stock price.
KIRK Stock Forecast FAQ
Based on analyst ratings, Kirkland's's 12-month average price target is $2.50. What is KIRK's upside potential, based on the analysts' average price target? Kirkland's has 28.53% upside potential, based on the analysts' average price target.
Costco's growth rate rarely disappoints, and its earnings are much more stable than its peers thanks to a steady stream of subscription fee income. Those competitive assets have been enough to allow the stock to roughly triple the wider market's gains over the last several years.
Costco's stock isn't cheap, but there are multiple catalysts that could strengthen its earnings power and, thus, bring down that multiple in the long run. One is an increase to its membership price, and the other is continued growth in international markets. The company's earnings still have a lot of room to grow.
What are the cons of Costco?
- Long Lines. ...
- Self-Checkout Can Be Stressful. ...
- No Scan and Go. ...
- Only Visa or Cash. ...
- Cracking Down on Memberships. ...
- Can't Purchase Additional Adult Family Member Cards. ...
- Limited Locations. ...
- They Keep Changing Up Merchandise.
Costco is known for its great deals — and even the wealthy can't resist them. A 2023 comparison study of Costco and Sam's Club shoppers found that Costco shoppers tend to be higher income, CNBC reported.
Costco membership sales are a core profit driver. For every 1 million members worldwide, Costco generates at least $60 million in revenue from membership fees alone. As of early 2022, Costco had over 114 million cardholders.
The top individual insider shareholders of Costco are Craig Jelinek, Charles Munger, and Patrick Callans, and the top institutional shareholders are Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock Inc., and State Street Corp.
Costco Wholesale Corp's (COST) main competitors in the highly competitive retail market of large discount stores are Walmart Inc. (WMT) and Target Corporation (TGT). These companies are also sometimes classified as consumer defensive stocks.
Stock Purchase Plan
This Program is available to both present shareholders of record as well as to individual investors wishing to make an initial purchase of Costco common stock. Costco Wholesale has adopted Direct Registration, a book-entry form of stock ownership.
Investors should understand Costco's business model before investing in the company's stock because it is a very real risk given current trends.
Costco Wholesale topped earnings expectations, but the stock fell following the company's rare revenue miss. The company's fiscal second-quarter revenue of $58.4 billion missed analyst projections for $59.1 billion.
2024 | 2030 | |
---|---|---|
Levered FCF ($, Millions) | US$6.24b | US$18.0b |
Growth Rate Estimate Source | Analyst x7 | Est @ 11.63% |
Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 6.0% | US$5.9k | US$12.0k |
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What is the highest Costco stock has ever been?
Historical daily share price chart and data for Costco since 1986 adjusted for splits and dividends. The latest closing stock price for Costco as of April 19, 2024 is 709.51. The all-time high Costco stock closing price was 785.59 on March 07, 2024.
While Costco appears to have the best growth prospects, that isn't enough to make it the best investment. Walmart trades at a lower valuation, and its higher dividend yield means you will receive more in dividend payments than you would on the same amount of money invested in Costco. That makes Walmart the winner.
Strong customer loyalty, profitable store growth, and consistently higher profitability have led to an ever-increasing share price. That means you'll pay up to buy the shares. Costco's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio stands at 49. That's much higher than the S&P 500's P/E multiple of 27.
When compared to other similar retailers, Costco's competitive advantage lies in its own private label, its discount prices, and its membership dues. This has provided customers with a product that they can rely on at low prices.
- Intense competition: The retail industry is highly competitive, with many competitors vying for customers' attention and dollars. ...
- Economic downturns: Costco's focus on providing value to its members could be a weakness when consumers focus more on cutting expenses.
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