News about Costco

Costco will open its first Málaga store in spring 2027, but membership registration opened Monday, October 19, at a temporary office in the Málaga Nostrum retail park. Annual fees are around €36 for individuals and €30 for businesses and the self-employed. New members who sign up early get a €10 voucher usable within 30 days of the Málaga opening, immediate access to Costco shops and petrol stations in Spain, and an annual renewal extended to spring 2028. The store will cover more than 12,000 square metres, with 5,811 square metres for the general sales area, plus sections for meat, dairy, produce, fish, frozen foods and bakery.

Costco will pay a $1.47 per-share dividend on Nov. 13 to shareholders on record as of Oct. 30, but the yield is only 0.6%, well below Coca-Cola (2.3%), Procter & Gamble (2.7%) and PepsiCo (4.6%). The article argues a stronger reason to consider the stock is its history of beating the S&P 500: it is up 13.4% this year versus 13.1% for the index, and 116% over five years versus 73%. It also points to room for expansion, from 914 warehouses at the end of fiscal 2025 to 939 at the end of fiscal 2026 and an expected 967 at the end of fiscal 2027. Costco has also paid special dividends of $15 per share in 2024 and $10 in 2020, though there is no set schedule.

Costco (COST) and Walmart (WMT) have returned -0.71% and -5.38%, respectively, over the six months to October 15. Costco keeps customers returning through its membership model, low prices and the Kirkland Signature brand, while Walmart can grow its e-commerce, advertising and third-party marketplace by leveraging its large customer base and store network. Costco posted fiscal 2026 revenue of $303.2 billion, including $5.9 billion from membership fees, and net income up 14% to $9.2 billion; it ended the year with 84.1 million paid members and a 92.3% renewal rate in the US and Canada. In fiscal Q2 2027, Walmart's global e-commerce sales rose 23% and advertising rose 38%, yet Walmart US comparable sales grew only 2.6%. Costco trades at 40.32x forward earnings versus 38.02x for Walmart.

USA Financial Formulas bought a new position of 2,037 Costco Wholesale shares in the third quarter, according to its 13F filing with the SEC, worth about $1,854,000. The stake makes up roughly 0.4% of the fund's portfolio and is its 19th-largest holding. The article also reports two insider sales: EVP William Richard Wilcox sold 1,100 shares at an average $958.21 on October 13th, a 26.23% reduction in his position, while EVP Claudine Adamo sold 2,200 shares at $915.93 on September 29th, a 23.57% cut. Costco reported September net sales of $30.02 billion, up 13% year over year, with digitally enabled sales up 19%. Per MarketBeat, 24 analysts rate the stock Buy, eight Hold and one Sell, with a consensus price target of $1,087.40, and Costco declared a quarterly dividend of $1.47 per share.