All right, why don't we start with your word of the day. It's prime. What's prime right now.Uh, so word of the day, prime for me, I'm looking at Prime Day as an indicator what might be going on in the markets, right. So, uh, you know, Amazon has these Prime days. It'll be interesting to me to use that as sort of the first indicator of the health of the US consumer.Are they buying as much as was expected uh, coming on the heels of the shutdown. And do we get some indication of how the US consumer really feel ...

Shares of Costco Wholesale (COST) have lost their shine this year. On Monday, Costco stock traded down 1% for the year while the S&P 500 has climbed nearly 15%. Investors who expect further weakness in Costco stock can use an options bear put spread to express this view. That underperformance by Costco stock deepened after the deep discount chain failed to break out of a cup- with-handle pattern in early June, leading to a steady decline since. Third-quarter results reported on Sept. 26 did little to ease i ...

We recently published 5 Stocks That Were On Jim Cramer’s Radar As He Discussed AI. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) continues to be one of Cramer’s top stocks. Throughout the year, he has praised the firm’s intent to secure low prices for consumers. This time, he discussed Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings, which saw the firm’s $86.16 billion in revenue and $5. ...

Economic Data Summary - Q2 GDP was revised up from +3.3% to +3.8%, marking the strongest quarter of growth since Q3 2023 [2] - Consumption increased significantly from +1.6% to +2.5%, indicating a stronger appetite among U.S. consumers [3] - The Price Index rose by 10 basis points, with headline inflation at +2.1% and core inflation at +2.6% [3] Job Market Insights - Initial Jobless Claims fell to 218K, down 17K from estimates and 64K lower than two weeks ago, reaching the lowest level since mid-summer [4] - Continuing Claims rose slightly to 1.926 million, remaining below 1.94 million for the third consecutive week [5] Manufacturing and Trade Data - August Durable Goods Orders increased by +2.9%, significantly better than the prior month's -2.7% and the consensus estimate of -0.5% [6] - The Advanced U.S. Trade Balance for August showed an improvement to -$85.5 billion from -$102.8 billion [7] - Advanced Retail Inventories remained unchanged, while Advanced Wholesale Inventories decreased to -0.2% [7] Market Expectations - Existing Home Sales for August are forecasted at 3.96 million, a decrease from July's 4.01 million [8] - Costco is expected to report fiscal Q4 results with a projected earnings growth of +12.8% year over year and +8.1% revenue growth [9]

Group 1 - Costco is set to release its fiscal Q4 2025 results on September 25, 2025, with analysts predicting earnings of $5.81 per share and revenue of $86.11 billion, reflecting a 10% increase in EPS and an 8% increase in revenue compared to the previous year [2] - In Q3 FY2025, Costco reported EPS of $4.28, a 13% year-over-year increase, on revenue of $63.2 billion, which is an 8% increase, driven by 8% growth in comparable sales and a 16% increase in e-commerce [2] - Costco's current market capitalization stands at $418 billion, with a total revenue of $269 billion over the last twelve months, maintaining operational profitability with $10 billion in operating profits and a net income of $7.8 billion [2] Group 2 - Historical data indicates that Costco stock has increased after earnings announcements 65% of the time, with a median one-day gain of 1.9% and a maximum movement of 7% [2][6] - Over the last five years, there have been 20 documented earnings data points for Costco, with 13 positive and 7 negative one-day returns, resulting in a 65% occurrence of positive returns [6] - The correlation between 1D, 5D, and 21D returns can provide insights for traders, as analyzing these relationships may help in making informed trading decisions following earnings announcements [7][8]

Group 1 - Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is currently experiencing a high price-to-earnings (PE) ratio of 53, which is considered elevated, leading to a recommendation to wait for the PE to drop below 50 before purchasing [1] - The company operates membership-based warehouses offering a diverse range of products, including groceries, appliances, apparel, and household goods, along with additional services such as fuel, pharmacies, and e-commerce [2] - Jim Cramer views Costco as a "great long-term hold," suggesting a gradual purchasing strategy rather than buying all shares at once, reflecting the company's consistent valuation over time [2] Group 2 - Despite the potential of Costco as an investment, there are AI stocks identified that may offer greater upside potential and lower downside risk, indicating a competitive investment landscape [2]

Core Insights - Costco Wholesale's shares have significantly increased, doubling from levels in 2023, with earnings multiples rising to the low fifties, resulting in an earnings yield below 2% due to strong business performance [1] Group 1: Company Performance - Costco's stock performance has been exceptional, with shares doubling in value since 2023 [1] - The company's earnings multiples have reached the low fifties, indicating a strong market valuation [1] - The earnings yield has fallen below 2%, reflecting the impact of robust business performance on stock valuation [1] Group 2: Investment Opportunities - The investing group "Value In Corporate Events" provides members with opportunities related to IPOs, mergers & acquisitions, earnings reports, and corporate capital allocation changes [1] - The group covers approximately 10 major events each month, focusing on identifying the best investment opportunities [1]

Core Viewpoint - BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. is conducting its Q2 2025 earnings conference call, indicating a focus on financial performance and strategic developments for the fiscal period [1][2][3]. Group 1: Company Representatives - The call features key company representatives including Bob Eddy (Chairman and CEO), Laura Felice (CFO), and Bill Werner (Executive VP of Strategy and Development) [3]. Group 2: Conference Call Structure - The conference call is coordinated by an operator, who introduces the session and provides instructions for participants [2].

Group 1 - BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings is set to announce its fiscal second-quarter results on August 22, 2025, with analysts projecting earnings of $1.09 per share and revenue of $5.48 billion, indicating no change in earnings year-over-year and a 5% increase in sales compared to the previous year [1][2] - The company has reiterated its fiscal 2025 guidance, emphasizing membership, traffic, and digital momentum as key growth drivers, alongside a 25% price advantage over supermarkets and plans to open 25-30 new clubs in the next two years [2] - BJ's has reported a market capitalization of $14 billion, with revenue for the last twelve months at $21 billion, operating profits of $848 million, and net income of $573 million [2] Group 2 - Historical data shows that BJ's stock has increased after earnings announcements 55% of the time, with a median one-day gain of 7.2% and a maximum increase of 20% [1][5] - Over the last five years, there have been 20 recorded earnings data points, with 11 positive and 9 negative one-day returns, while the percentage of positive returns drops to 45% when considering the last three years [5] - The correlation between short-term and medium-term returns after earnings can provide a lower-risk trading strategy, particularly if the 1D post-earnings return is positive [6]

Group 1: Company Overview - Visa is a payment processor in the financial sector, collecting small fees for facilitating transactions via its branded cards [2] - Costco operates as a warehouse club retailer and issues credit cards within the Visa system, charging an annual membership fee for shopping [5] Group 2: Financial Performance - In Q2 2025, Visa processed 60.7 billion transactions, a 9% year-over-year increase, resulting in a revenue of $9.6 billion, also up 9% [3] - Costco's revenue in the fiscal Q3 2025 increased by 8% to nearly $62 billion, with membership fees contributing significantly to operating income [5] Group 3: Growth Potential - Both Visa and Costco are well-managed companies with strong growth prospects; Visa benefits from the shift to digital transactions, while Costco is expanding its store base due to high demand [6] Group 4: Valuation Concerns - Both companies are currently considered expensive, with Visa's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio about 5% above its five-year average, while Costco's is approximately 25% above [9][10] - Visa's dividend yield is 0.7%, and Costco's is less than 0.6%, indicating limited income generation for value investors [8] Group 5: Investment Considerations - Visa appears to be the better value option compared to Costco for growth investors, given its relatively lower valuation metrics [10] - Caution is advised for investors, as economic downturns could negatively impact both companies [12]