Costco logo over a blurred warehouse aisle with a shopping cart in the foreground. Key Points Costco had a solid quarter and showed momentum in its Q1 FY2026 results, providing investors with reasons to be optimistic. Cash flow is positive, the cash pile is building, and a special dividend payment is on the horizon. Analysts lifted price targets and pointed to a solid double-digit upside and new all-time highs. Interested in Costco Wholesale Corporation? Here are five stocks we like better. Costco ...

Core Insights - Costco Wholesale Corporation is a leading global retailer with over 900 warehouses, known for its membership-only model and bulk sales strategy [1] Financial Performance - In the first quarter, Costco reported an 8% increase in revenue, reaching $67.3 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations by $200 million [3] - Earnings per share were reported at $4.50, surpassing forecasts by $0.22, indicating strong financial performance [3] Expansion Strategy - The company continues to expand aggressively, operating 923 warehouses at the end of the quarter, an increase of 26 from the previous year [4] - Comparable sales rose by 6.4% on an adjusted basis, with a 5.9% growth in the US market [4] Digital Engagement - Digitally enabled sales surged by 20.5%, highlighting the impact of strong online engagement on overall sales and customer traffic [4] Membership Income - Membership fee income increased by 14% year-over-year to $1.33 billion, supported by a higher penetration of Executive Memberships [5] - Despite a slight decline in renewal rates, the company's focus on technology enhances member experience and productivity [5] Price Target Adjustment - Scot Ciccarelli from Truist Financial set a new price target of $926 for Costco, indicating a potential increase of approximately 6.7% from its then-current price of $867.89 [2][6]

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) broke records for pie sales this Thanksgiving season, in addition to non-food Black Friday online orders, executives said Thursday on the company's conference call. COST stock is moving. See the chart and price action here. During Costco's earnings call, CEO Ron Vachris reported that the company sold a record-breaking 4.5 million pies in just the three days leading up to Thanksgiving 2025.Here is the breakdown of those numbers and how they compare to previous years:The N ...

Core Insights - Instacart has been utilizing a practice known as surveillance pricing, which involves charging different prices for identical items based on customer data, a method that has roots in its 2022 acquisition of Eversight, an AI pricing company [1][6][8] - A recent investigation revealed that prices for the same grocery items on Instacart can vary by up to 23% between different customers, indicating a significant level of price discrimination [3][6][12] - The pricing strategy employed by Instacart is likened to dynamic pricing models used in other industries, raising concerns about the fairness and transparency of pricing for essential goods [2][16] Pricing Variability - Consumer Reports and Groundwork Collaborative found that 75% of products had different prices for each user, with an average shopping basket showing a price variation of about 7%, potentially costing families around $1,200 annually [1][6] - Personal experiences from users indicate that price fluctuations can be substantial, with items like bacon and butter showing price differences of 19% and 52% respectively [10][11] - Instacart's pricing changes are not always aligned with typical grocery inflation, which was reported at about 2.7% over the past year, suggesting that the variability is driven by algorithmic pricing rather than market conditions [12] Algorithmic Pricing Practices - Instacart's algorithms are designed to set individualized prices based on customer data, often without the customer's knowledge, leading to a lack of transparency in pricing [6][8] - Despite claims from Instacart that their pricing tests are randomized and not based on personal characteristics, disclosures in New York indicate that personal data is indeed used to calculate fees [8][9] - The company has faced scrutiny and has temporarily halted pricing experiments at certain retailers following the investigation, although it has not fully acknowledged the extent of its algorithmic pricing practices [7][8] Legislative Response - In response to the findings, lawmakers are considering legislation to ban surveillance pricing, with the "One Fair Price Act" introduced to prevent companies from charging different prices based on personal data [16][17] - Other states, including California, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, are also exploring similar measures to protect consumers from price discrimination practices [17]

Core Insights - Costco Wholesale Corporation reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $4.50 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations by 19 cents, with revenue increasing 8.3% year-over-year to $67.3 billion [1] - Membership fee revenue grew by 14.0% to $1.33 billion, outperforming forecasts [1] - Despite strong earnings, Costco shares fell nearly 2% in afternoon trading, contributing to a 5% decline in stock value for 2025, underperforming compared to Walmart's nearly 30% gain and the S&P 500's 16% rise [2] E-commerce Performance - Digitally enabled comparable store sales surged by 20.5% in the latest quarter, while overall comparable store sales increased by 6.4% [2] - The company expressed optimism regarding the growth of digital sales, expecting them to outpace average sales growth over the long term, as stated by CFO Gary Millerchimp [3] Membership Revenue - The increase in membership fee revenue indicates strong customer engagement and loyalty, contributing significantly to overall revenue growth [1][4] - Costco did not provide a full-year outlook, leaving investors with uncertainty regarding future performance [4]

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) reported better-than-expected financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 after the bell on Thursday.Costco reported first-quarter revenue of $67.31 billion, beating analyst estimates of $67.14 billion, according to Benzinga Pro. The membership-based retailer reported fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $4.50 per share, beating estimates of $4.27 per share.Membership fees came in at approximately $1.33 billion, up from $1.17 billion in the prior year’s quarter ...

COST attracted thee price-target cuts after the event, as well as two bull notesCostco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) stock is 1.7% lower to trade at $869.90 at last glance, despite the warehouse club retailer reporting an earnings and revenue beat for the fiscal first quarter.The security has attracted three price-target cuts and two hikes following the event, with Bernstein raising its objective to $1,146 from $1,134. The majority of analysts lean bullish toward COST, with 20 of the 34 in coverage sporting ...

A handful of remaining major companies reported their quarterly results this week, including Oracle (ORCL) and Broadcom (AVGO). The Q3 earnings season has largely brought solid results. As of Dec. 5, 99% of S&P 500 companies have reported, according to FactSet data, and analysts estimate a 13.4% jump in earnings per share during the third quarter. If it holds, that figure would mark the fourth straight quarter of double-digit earnings growth and an acceleration from the 12% earnings growth rate reported i ...

Costco Wholesale has reported an 8.2% increase in net sales in the first quarter (Q1) of fiscal 2026, which ended on 23 November 2025. The US-based retailer reported net sales of $65.98bn for the period, up from $60.99bn in the same quarter of the previous year. Comparable sales increased 6.4% across the business. Net income increased from $1.79bn to $2bn, a 11.7% rise year-on-year. The company recorded gains of 5.9% in the US, 6.5% in Canada, and 8.8% in other international markets. Online sales grew ...

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