The most recent trading session ended with Costco (COST) standing at $960.89, reflecting a -0.32% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.3%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.99%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.27%.
Shares of the warehouse club operator have appreciated by 8.17% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 3.51% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.1%.
The upcoming earnings release of Costco will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on December 12, 2024. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $3.79, marking an 8.91% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $62.37 billion, up 7.9% from the year-ago period.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $17.75 per share and revenue of $273.33 billion, indicating changes of +10.18% and +7.42%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Costco should also be noted by investors. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.02% higher. At present, Costco boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
In terms of valuation, Costco is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 54.3. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 20.45, so one might conclude that Costco is trading at a premium comparatively.
It's also important to note that COST currently trades at a PEG ratio of 5.95. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Retail - Discount Stores industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.44.
The Retail - Discount Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 144, which puts it in the bottom 43% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
