Costco Wholesale CorporationCOSTCOMMENTJul 04, 2017Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Sep 11, 2026. Market Open.
World's third-largest retailer. High traffic, repeat business, superior same-store sales growth in high single digits. Likes the recurring membership fees, with ~92% retention rate. Likes the procurement clout and narrow assortment of goods. Pretty good gross margins of 11%, and ~30% ROE.
Seems to trade at a high multiple, and this scares people. But it's compounded at 17-18% since the IPO in 1985. Any day that ends in "y" is a good day to buy. Yield is 0.64%.
Has traded at a high valuation pretty much since it went public. Good luck trying to pick a perfect valuation entry point. He invests in companies that can invest cashflows at high rates of return over decades. Stealing market share from low- and middle-end grocery stores. Adding services, such as Medicare plans in the US. Same-store sales growth 7-8% a year.
Deserves to trade at a high multiple because of business durability over the long term. Yield is 0.60%.
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.
Can this compete with Amazon (AMZN-Q)? If there is one name that can compete with them, it is this one. They are able to cross sell products. It is one of the few retailers that has done exceptionally well. Trading at around 28X PE, which is expensive, but continues to set new highs and go higher. Dividend yield of about 1.25%. A tough place to be if the stock goes sideways. About 25% of revenue comes from membership fees, which is a little bit of concern, because with 80 million members, how much more can they grow in this area.