50% off Premium Yearly
Costco Wholesale CorporationCOSTHOLDNov 13, 2014Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 16, 2026. Market Open.
Both great companies, but both very expensive. COST is over 50x PE, and WMT's in the 40s. Fairly low-margin model. Reliant on the consumer, and everyone's affected when that consumer is struggling.
WMT reported today. Earnings were OK, but projections on future quarters were tough. High fuel prices were highlighted.
No valuation concerns, as it's been expensive every day he's looked at it over 30 years. Compounded shareholder total return of 17.5% since its IPO. Third-largest retailer in the world. Procurement clout and supply-chain efficiencies produce gross margins of 11%. Still expanding store count. Periodically increases membership fees. Superior same-store sales performance driven by traffic and basket size.
Lots of ways to win. Yield is 0.59%.
A good name to hold in consumer staples when people panic about market volatility, recession, or the like. Defensive plus steady growth. Runup since January, now trending sideways. Business model is what makes it stand out.
Sees ~11-12% upside from here. Of course, that could change. Ranks 10/10 for her.
Has been able to maintain its PE multiple over time. One of the few. They want you to look around within the store. This increases the ticket items. You keep adding to the basket. The number of items are in a short list, but they are the go to names. They sell at a discount and members respect this. It is rich, but deserves to be relative to other providers. They have the gas and auto add-on businesses. He would wait for it to cool off a bit to pick it up.