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Costco Wholesale Corporation

5/21/2013, 8:46 AM ET

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Thursday, May 16, 8:05 AM Shares of Costco (COST) are on watch after Sam's Club puts in a lackluster quarter on lower traffic, but raises some of its membership fees for the first time since 2006. Costco has been slightly above Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club on membership fees, but that hasn't stopped the retailer from beating its rivals on comparable-store sales growth. 1 Comment [Consumer]
Thursday, May 9, 11:55 AM Retail stocks (XRT) were bid up a bit too much, according to AlixPartners' Steve Nevill. High-profile misses on April sales from Limited Brands (LTD -1.8%) and Costco (COST -0.3%) - as well as the soft Q1 numbers from Ann (ANN +4.3%) and Wet Seal (WTSL +5.7%) show that Wall Street might have been expecting too big of a bounce in consumer spending too soon. The price-aware climate appears just right for TJX Companies (TJX +0.8%) and Ross Stores (ROST +0.3%) though, as the pair kept up its winning ways during the month. Comment! [Consumer]
Thursday, May 9, 6:43 AM More on Costco's (COST) sales: The retailer misses the analyst estimate of 4.9% for April same-store sales, but 4% looks good compared to sector peers. The company says changes in gas prices and currency swings had a negative impact on April same-store sales, noting a 6% growth rate would have been seen in both the U.S. and international markets without the two effects. Comment! [Consumer]
Thursday, May 9, 3:25 AM Costco (COST) Apr. same-store sales: +4%. Total sales +7% to $7.98B (PR) Comment! [Consumer]
Tuesday, May 7, 9:29 AM Retail sales numbers for April could be a tad weaker than expected after weekly reports from Redbook and ICSC-Goldman on chain store sales both came in a bit below expectations. Retail read-through: Weather and swings in gas prices seemed to impact store traffic to malls (KSS, DDS, JCP, LTD, GPS, ANF, AEO) and supercenters (WMT, COST TGT), but economists think consumer confidence on the high end (TIF, RL, SKS, COH, BBBY) just might be on the rise. Also, with online sales de-emphasized in the weekly chain store reports - Internet whiz kids Macy's (M) and Urban Outfitters (URBN) could still outperform even if mall parking lots aren't packed. 1 Comment [Consumer, U.S. Economy]
Wednesday, May 1, 5:58 AM Costco (COST) declares $0.09/share quarterly dividend, 12.7% increase from prior dividend of $0.275. Forward yield 1.14%. For shareholders of record May 14. Payable June 14. Ex-div date May 10. (PR) Comment! [Dividends]
Tuesday, April 30, 10:04 AM A combined read of Redbook and ICSCS-Goldman's data on chain store sales indicates the late start to the spring season could take its toll on apparel sellers. Despite the choppy start to Q2, chain-store sales are still heading for a 2%-3% gain during the month compared to last year. Possible April winners: Drugstores [Walgreen (WAG), Rite Aid (RAD), CVS Caremark (CVS)] and wholesale clubs [Costco (COST), PriceSmart (PSMT), BJ's Wholesale]. Comment! [Consumer, U.S. Economy]
Monday, April 29, 7:23 AM Consumer spending watch: Gas prices are down 28% since February's peak and analysts see another 20% drop coming up in the next few months. A rough estimate of the impact of lower gas prices on consumer spending is that a dime drop translates into $13B back into the wallets of consumers. Companies that could see a boost from the trend include Wal-Mart (WMT), Target (TGT), and Costco (COST) - while ETFs such as Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR (XLY), Vanguard Consumer Discretionary (VCR), PowerShares Dynamic Consumer Discretionary (PEZ), and Market Vectors Retail (RTH) could also benefit. 3 Comments [Consumer, Quick Ideas]
Wednesday, April 17, 9:16 AM Costco (COST) announces it will launch Costco CRX Mexico to offer vendors in the region advanced point-of-sale and supply chain tracking. The retailer's supply chain management in North America has been lauded by industry insiders as a highly-polished gem. Comment! [Consumer]
Tuesday, April 16, 1:15 PM Private label brand breakthrough: A survey released by Deloitte on brand loyalty could rattle the food and grocery sectors as a whopping 94% of consumers indicate they will stick with private-label or store brands instead of reverting back to costlier options. Industry insiders think even if the economy comes roaring back, a paradigm shift of consumer attitudes toward food purchases may already be entrenched. The trend could favor Treehouse Foods (THS), Safeway (SWY), Kroger (KR), Costco (COST), Whole Foods Market (WFM) - while creating a headache for Kellogg (K), Post Holdings (POST), Campbell Soup (CPB), Kraft Foods (KRFT), and General Mills (GIS). 10 Comments [Consumer]
Tuesday, April 16, 8:21 AM Target's (TGT) warning on Q1 sales trends isn't a surprise to many retail analysts with the spring selling season getting off to a slow start due to weather issues. Peer watch: Wal-Mart (WMT) trades 0.7% lower premarket, but shares of Costco (COST) are 0.7% higher with the company's track record of strong execution still a backdrop. Comment! [Consumer]
Thursday, April 11, 10:14 AM Retail watch: Due to the timing of Easter and a slow start to the spring selling season a two-month snapshot of sales covering March and April is appropriate before drawing major conclusions, according to analysts. Retailers looking for a March surge in home and garden (HD, LOW, TGT, WMT) spending and spring clothing purchases expect April to make up some of the slack. Of the 14 retailers reporting March numbers today, comparable-store sales averaged a 0.6% gain with Costco (COST) and Ross Stores (ROST) standing out as outperformers. 2 Comments [Consumer]
Thursday, April 11, 7:43 AM More on Costco's (COST) March sales: For the second straight month international sales slowed down, but a strong showing in the U.S. looks even brighter given the round of cold weather excuses from retailers and recent warning signs from Wal-Mart and Target. The company says it plans to open up ten new warehouses before September. Comment! [Consumer]
Thursday, April 11, 4:37 AM Costco's (COST) net sales +7% in March to $9.67B; comparable sales +4% vs consensus of +5.2%, with U.S. +5% and international +2%. Changes in gasoline prices and forex rates hurt comparable sales. Excluding these two factors, comparable sales +6%, with U.S. +6% and international +5%. (PR) Comment! [Earnings, Consumer]
Tuesday, April 9, 12:27 PM Macy's (M -0.6%) and Costco (COST -1.3%) plan to ramp up e-commerce efforts in China in order to avoid the misfires of U.S. brick-and-mortar retailers such as Best Buy and Home Depot. Though not a lot of details on the initiatives have been released yet, both companies appear likely to partner with local operators in the initial stages. 1 Comment
Thursday, March 28, 9:18 AM Look for a new report from Consumer Reports on the cost of prescription drugs at retail chains to create some buzz. Analysis by the publication shows that consumers can save as much as $100 a month by comparison shopping. Costco (COST) came in the low end of the scale for generic drug prices while CVS Caremark (CVS) was the highest. Drugstore chains (WAG, RAD) could face increasing pricing pressure with big box retailers more willing to use low prices at their pharmacies as a traffic driver. 4 Comments [Consumer, Healthcare]

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