Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Has Costco Wholesale (COST) Outpaced Other Retail-Wholesale Stocks This Year?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The Retail-Wholesale group has plenty of great stocks, but investors should always be looking for companies that are outperforming their peers. Costco Wholesale (COST - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? One simple way to answer this question is to take a look at the year-to-date performance of COST and the rest of the Retail-Wholesale group's stocks.

Costco Wholesale is one of 219 individual stocks in the Retail-Wholesale sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #2 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. COST is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for COST's full-year earnings has moved 4.67% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Based on the most recent data, COST has returned 27.92% so far this year. At the same time, Retail-Wholesale stocks have lost an average of 4.96%. This means that Costco Wholesale is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, COST belongs to the Retail - Discount Stores industry, which includes 8 individual stocks and currently sits at #104 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 17.13% so far this year, meaning that COST is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

Going forward, investors interested in Retail-Wholesale stocks should continue to pay close attention to COST as it looks to continue its solid performance.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) - free report >>

Published in