Costco (COST) Surpasses Market Returns: Some Facts Worth Knowing

Costco (COST) closed the most recent trading day at $1,061.92, moving +1.73% from the previous trading session. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.67%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.38%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.98%.Heading into today, shares of the warehouse club operator had gained 11.41% over the past month, outpacing the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 7.15% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.07% in that time.The upcoming earnings release of Costco will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on March 6, 2025. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $4.08, reflecting a 9.97% increase from the same quarter last year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $63.13 billion, showing an 8.02% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.COST's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $18.03 per share and revenue of $273.15 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +11.92% and +7.35%, respectively.Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Costco should also be noted by investors. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. 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, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.16% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Costco currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).In terms of valuation, Costco is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 57.9. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 19.36, so one might conclude that Costco is trading at a premium comparatively.We can additionally observe that COST currently boasts a PEG ratio of 6.21. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Retail - Discount Stores industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.08 as trading concluded yesterday.The Retail - Discount Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 66, this industry ranks in the top 27% of all industries, numbering over 250.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.Just Released: Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2025Hurry – you can still get in early on our 10 top tickers for 2025. Handpicked by Zacks Director of Research Sheraz Mian, this portfolio has been stunningly and consistently successful. From inception in 2012 through November, 2024, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,112.6%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +475.6%. Sheraz has combed through 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank and handpicked the best 10 to buy and hold in 2025. You can still be among the first to see these just-released stocks with enormous potential. See New Top 10 Stocks >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks