Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) hit a 52-week high of $983 yesterday, highlighting investor confidence in the company’s business model and performance. This milestone reflects Costco's ability to thrive in a dynamic retail environment, driven by its unmatched value proposition and growing membership base. However, as the stock reaches new highs, the question looms: Should investors hold on for more gains or lock in profits, given its elevated valuation? Costco closed at $982.15 yesterday, just ...

This popular retailer has returned over 250% over the past five years, more than double the S&P 500.Big-box retailer Costco Wholesale (COST 0.31%) has dazzled Wall Street with a breathtaking 250% total return over the past five years, easily trouncing the S&P 500. The company's famously low prices, wide product selection, and popular meal deals (like its $1.50 hotdog) have created a sticky customer base.It's a simple formula that has built Costco's brand and competitive advantages into a juggernaut. I expec ...

Although the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund NYSE: XLP has underperformed the broader market this year, with a modest 14.7% YTD gain, momentum appears to be shifting. While the sector lacks the allure of high-growth areas like technology or artificial intelligence, it remains a favorite for long-term investors due to its defensive nature. From a technical perspective, the XLP ETF recently broke above its 50-day and 5-day converging moving averages, signaling renewed upward momentum. As the sector a ...

Costco Wholesale (COST 1.07%) operates around 900 warehouse-style retail stores around the world. Its fiscal 2024 ended on Sept. 1. And during the fiscal year, it generated a whopping $254 billion in total revenue.This makes Costco one of the largest businesses on the entire planet. Just to put its revenue number into perspective, the company generated as much revenue as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Netflix, and The Coca-Cola Company combined. Really.Costco stocks and sells tons of products. In its ...

Over the years, Costco Wholesale (COST 1.07%) investors have become accustomed to collecting special dividends when the company has a strong year. However, special dividend payments are even less of a guarantee than regular dividend payments as they don't follow a schedule. Just because a company makes them one time doesn't mean it will again.But Costco has made special dividend payments multiple times in the past several years. And last year, that announcement came in December. Should investors expect anot ...

Book bargain hunters will be disappointed to learn Costco plans to stop selling books at most of its US stores at the beginning of the year. In January, Costco will remove the store’s popular book section from the majority of its 600-plus stores in the United States.And it will only return during the holiday season, from September to December, and at other intermittent times, the discount store chain told publishers over the summer, according to The New York Times. Costco told the executives the change was ...

Costco (COST -1.02%) has undoubtedly been a fantastic investment over the years. Since its initial public offering in December 1985, the company has generated a monster total return of 165,200% (as of Nov. 22). Early investors who held on have been able to amass meaningful wealth.But if you're new to the world of investing, it's best to look to the future. Will investors who buy this top retail stock today be set up for life? Let's take a closer look at Costco.An excellent enterpriseI just mentioned how wel ...

Costco (COST 0.88%) is a store I frequent almost weekly, thanks to the good prices and the shockingly fresh produce. That said, I've never owned the stock, even though it has the type of impressive dividend record that attracts my attention. Sometimes I wish I had bought it, though, because paying full price for a great company can often lead to strong returns. But what about buying it today? Would adding Costco to your portfolio right now set you up for a lifetime of strong returns?Costco's business model ...

Imagine if for $1 million you could buy a business that makes $100,000 in annual profit. In investing lingo, one would say this business trades at 10 times its earnings or at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 10. It's helpful. In this particular scenario, one would recoup the purchase price after 10 years. Year 11 and beyond would allow the investor to make serious money.Of course, it's an over-simplistic way of looking at things. In the real world earnings are rarely static. But it still demonstrates how ...

Three brand-name businesses are perfectly positioned to become Wall Street's premier stock splits in the new year.While there's no denying that artificial intelligence (AI) has played an important role in sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite to respective all-time highs, it's imperative not to overlook the role stock-split euphoria has had in lifting key components within these indexes.A stock split is a tool publicly traded companies have at their disposal that allows the ...