Q3 Earnings Highlights: Costco (NASDAQ:COST) Vs The Rest Of The Large-format Grocery & General Merchandise Retailer Stocks

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Q3 Earnings Highlights: Costco (NASDAQ:COST) Vs The Rest Of The Large-format Grocery & General Merchandise Retailer Stocks

Looking back on large-format grocery & general merchandise retailer stocks’ Q3 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Costco (NASDAQ:COST) and its peers.

Big-box retailers operate large stores that sell groceries and general merchandise at highly competitive prices. Because of their scale and resulting purchasing power, these big-box retailers–with annual sales in the tens to hundreds of billions of dollars–are able to get attractive volume discounts and sell at often the lowest prices. While e-commerce is a threat, these retailers have been able to weather the storm by either providing a unique in-store shopping experience or by reinvesting their hefty profits into omnichannel investments.

The 4 large-format grocery & general merchandise retailer stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 5.2% on average since the latest earnings results.

Costco (NASDAQ:COST)

Designed to be a one-stop shop for the suburban consumer, Costco (NASDAQ:COST) is a membership-only retail chain that sells groceries, apparel, toys, and household items, often in bulk quantities.

Costco reported revenues of $79.7 billion, flat year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ gross margin estimates.

Costco Total Revenue
Costco Total Revenue

Costco delivered the slowest revenue growth of the whole group. Interestingly, the stock is up 9% since reporting and currently trades at $982.85.

Is now the time to buy Costco? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q3: BJ's (NYSE:BJ)

Appealing to the budget-conscious individual shopping for a household, BJ’s Wholesale Club (NYSE:BJ) is a membership-only retail chain that sells groceries, appliances, electronics, and household items, often in bulk quantities.

BJ's reported revenues of $5.10 billion, up 3.5% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had a strong quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA and EPS estimates.

BJ's Total Revenue
BJ's Total Revenue

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 12.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $96.

Is now the time to buy BJ's? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q3: Target (NYSE:TGT)

With a higher focus on style and aesthetics compared to other large general merchandise retailers, Target (NYSE:TGT) serves the suburban consumer who is looking for a wide range of products under one roof.