Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Costco (COST) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note

Read MoreHide Full Article

Costco (COST - Free Report) closed at $594.90 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.6% move from the prior day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.2% for the day. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.16%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.07%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the warehouse club operator had gained 8.9% over the past month. This has outpaced the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 8.4% and the S&P 500's gain of 7.49% in that time.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Costco in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on December 14, 2023. On that day, Costco is projected to report earnings of $3.44 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 10.97%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $57.65 billion, reflecting a 5.91% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $15.72 per share and revenue of $252.41 billion, which would represent changes of +7.01% and +4.18%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Costco. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.11% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Costco is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In terms of valuation, Costco is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 37.62. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 24.02 for its industry.

We can additionally observe that COST currently boasts a PEG ratio of 4.4. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Retail - Discount Stores industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.13.

The Retail - Discount Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 85, positioning it in the top 34% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) - free report >>

Published in