Costco December Sales Top Analysts' Expectations

Sales Performance - Costco reported net sales of $27.52 billion in the five-week period through Jan 5, a 10% year-over-year increase [1] - US comparable sales improved more than 9% year-over-year [1] - E-commerce sales surged 34% year-over-year, with an estimated 15 percentage point boost from the later timing of Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday [1] Analyst Commentary - JPMorgan analysts reiterated an "overweight" rating but lowered price target to$ 1,065 from $1,090 [1] - Visible Alpha analyst consensus price target is$ 1,047.06 [1] - Citi analysts expect "modest strength" in Costco stock following December results, maintaining a "neutral" rating and $1,060 price target [2][3] Market Context - Costco shares closed at$ 927.37 on Wednesday, representing a roughly 15% discount to JPMorgan's price target [1] - Shares have fallen 7% since hitting an all-time closing high of $994.69 on Dec 11 [2] - Results indicate improving consumer spending, particularly among upper-middle class and higher-income consumers [2]