Costco Is a Growth Stock. January Sales Prove It.
Despite its entrenched position in the U.S. retail sector, this powerful discount chain still has the characteristics of a growth stock.
Some investors might automatically assume Costco (NASDAQ: COST) is an established, slow-growing company. They would be right on one count, but wrong on the other. It is certainly an established leader. But it's not slow-growing. In fact, the membership-based wholesale retailer's earnings per share grew by a high-teens percentage in its fiscal 2024, which ended Sept. 1. Further, sales in the months since then have accelerated compared to fiscal 2024, setting up the company for a great 2025.
Put simply, Costco is still a growth stock. This is important to understand because it helps justify its premium valuation.
Helping fuel Costco's 17% year-over-year increase in earnings per share in fiscal 2024 was a 6% jump in comparable sales, adjusted to exclude the impacts of changes in gasoline prices and foreign currency exchange rates. Impressively, this was an acceleration from 5% adjusted comps growth in fiscal 2023.
