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Costco Wholesale Corporation is a discount stores business with stocks listed in the US. Costco shares (COST) are listed on the NASDAQ and all prices are listed in US Dollars. Its last market close was US$502.99 – a decrease of 3.65% over the previous week. Here's how to invest if you're based in Australia.
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| 52-week range | US$305.2767 - US$571.49 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | US$538.049 |
| 200-day moving average | US$447.9366 |
| Target price | US$556.15 |
| PE ratio | 43.2494 |
| Dividend yield | US$3.07 (0.61%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | US$11.63 |
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.
Historical closes compared with the last close of $502.99
| 1 week (2022-01-11) | -3.65% |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2021-12-17) | -8.15% |
| 3 months (2021-10-18) | 8.88% |
| 6 months (2021-07-16) | 22.57% |
| 1 year (2021-01-15) | 38.89% |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2020-01-17) | 65.09% |
| 3 years (2019-01-18) | 135.49% |
| 5 years (2017-01-18) | 206.20% |
Valuing Costco stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Costco's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Costco's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 43x. In other words, Costco shares trade at around 43x recent earnings.
That's relatively high compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The high P/E ratio could mean that investors are optimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're over-valued.
Costco's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 5.3163. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Costco's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
Costco's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$9.4 billion (£6.9 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Costco's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
| Revenue TTM | US$203.1 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 3.74% |
| Gross profit TTM | US$25.2 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 7.64% |
| Return on equity TTM | 30.56% |
| Profit margin | 2.54% |
| Book value | 41.636 |
| Market capitalisation | US$223 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Costco.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Total ESG risk: 24.32
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Costco's overall score of 24.32 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 30th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Costco is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
Environmental score: 4.18/100
Costco's environmental score of 4.18 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Costco is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Social score: 11.94/100
Costco's social score of 11.94 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Costco is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Governance score: 8.2/100
Costco's governance score puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Costco is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Controversy score: 3/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Costco scored a 3 out of 5 for controversy – a middle-of-the-table result reflecting that Costco hasn't always managed to keep its nose clean.
Costco Wholesale Corporation was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 24.32 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 30.2 |
| Environmental score | 4.18 |
| Environmental score percentile | 3 |
| Social score | 11.94 |
| Social score percentile | 3 |
| Governance score | 8.2 |
| Governance score percentile | 3 |
| Level of controversy | 3 |
Dividend payout ratio: 21.42% of net profits
Recently Costco has paid out, on average, around 21.42% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 0.61% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Costco shareholders could enjoy a 0.61% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Costco's case, that would currently equate to about $3.07 per share.
While Costco's payout ratio might seem low, this can signify that Costco is investing more in its future growth.
Costco's most recent dividend payout was on 11 November 2021. The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 27 October 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").
Costco's shares were split on a 2:1 basis on 13 January 2000. So if you had owned 1 share the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 2 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Costco shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 50% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Costco shares which in turn could have impacted Costco's share price.
Over the last 12 months, Costco's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$305.2767 up to US$571.49. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NASDAQ average) beta is 1, while Costco's is 0.6351. This would suggest that Costco's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, China, and Taiwan. It offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories. The company offers sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, liquor, and tobacco and deli products; appliances, electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, garden and patio products, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal products, office supplies, automotive care products, postages, tickets, apparel, small appliances, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and meat, produce, service deli, and bakery products. It also operates pharmacies, opticals, food courts, hearing-aid centers, and tire installation centers, as well as 636 gas stations; and offers business delivery, travel, same-day grocery, and various other services online in various countries. As of August 29, 2021, the company operated 815 membership warehouses, including 564 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 105 in Canada, 39 in Mexico, 30 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 16 in South Korea, 14 in Taiwan, 12 in Australia, 3 in Spain, 1 in Iceland, 1 in France, and 1 in China. It also operates e-commerce websites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. The company was formerly known as Costco Companies, Inc. and changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation in August 1999. Costco Wholesale Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based in Issaquah, Washington.
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