Posts for Ticker ‘COST’

Black Friday Gimmicks & Desperation, A Win For Consumers (WMT, BBY, COST, TGT, KSS, GPS, M, JWN, MA, AMZN)

We are right at a week away from the highly awaited Black Friday for 2009’s holiday and Christmas season.  As you likely know, this is THE day that retailers look forward to all year and critically depend upon as an anchor to how each retailer’s full year earnings results turn out.  You may already be tired of Christmas ads and the holidays haven’t even arrived yet.  With over 10% unemployment, a recession-end that doesn’t feel like a recession-end, a very tight discretionary spending budget, and a general lack of consumer confidence, it is no surprise at all that the focus for the Holiday Season in 2009 is one of deals and thrift.

These are not in any particular order, but the promotions have been reviewed at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT), Best Buy Co. (NYSE: BBY), Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST), Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS), Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M), and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN).  There is also already promotion between MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) and Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN).  Admittedly, this is just a sampling of major outlets.

What is amazing is just how much of the deal-making is already out before the holiday season starts as retailers key off of each other.  It is almost impossible to avoid thinking how such a promotional Christmas and Holiday Season in 2009 is going to add pressure to margins at almost all the first-line retailers.
Read More »

Posted on: November 19, 2009 – 12:54 pm in Apparel, Calendar, Editor's Picks, Entertainment, Luxury, Product Review, Retail, , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Q3-2009 Holdings A to F (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BDX, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, COST, XOM, ETN)

BuffettImage gates foundation Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) has shown its Q3-2009 holdings as of September 30, 2009.  We had already seen how his securities holdings were up on the books in the holdings with earnings.  There are also some portfolio changes that have taken place since the September 30 cut-off date.  These have been broken down into 3 groups of ‘A to F’ and ‘G to O’ and ‘P to Z’ so it is more concise and clear.  Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘A ot F.’

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, same as last quarter.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5 million shares; same as last quarter.
  • Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE: BDX) 1.2 million shares, same as last quarter.
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) was reported as 76.77 million shares but frankly it does not really matter as BNSF is becoming part of Berkshire.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 9 million shares is same as last quarter.
  • Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) right at 200 million shares, still same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) roughly 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) 57.43 million shares, DOWN FROM 62.485 million at the end of June.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is a NEW HOLDING of 1.276 million shares.

Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) was NOT LISTED ANY LONGER, so sold from holdings.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS G to O

BUFFETT HOLDINGS P to Z

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, key analyst calls, and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 4:33 pm in Activist Investor, Buffett, Buffett Holdings, Conglomerates, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 10/29/2009 Reuters, WSJ. NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   House Democrats unveiled their healthcare bill.

Reuters:   Senators may extend home purchase credits until April.

Reuters:   China will launch a case against The Big Three auto companies.

Reuters:   Galleon paid Wall St. bankers millions to give data that would allow a trading “edge.” Read More »

Posted on: October 29, 2009 – 3:56 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hope For Retail: Costco (NASDAQ:COST) Beats The Street

AnnCostco (NASDAQ:COST) announced earnings that beat Wall St. expectations.

Net sales for the fiscal 2009 fourth quarter  ended August 30, 2009 were $21.89 billion, a drop from $22.63 billion in the same period a year ago. Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2009 was $374 million, or $.85 per share, compared to $398 million, or $.90 per share, in the same quarter last year. Analysts expected EPS of $.77. Read More »

Posted on: October 7, 2009 – 5:55 am in Earnings, Economy, Retail, , ,

Bogus Ads From”The Motley Fool”

bearThe Motley Fool is one of the twenty most visited financial sites in the US according to comScore with monthly unique visitors of 1.536 million last month, making it slightly bigger than Google (GOOG) Finance.

The Motley Fool has developed a very unfortunate habit of running advertising which is not terribly credible. Maybe it does not matter if they pull well.

One of the most recent campaigns has an ad which says “Why Wal-Mart Is Doomed.” The message goes on to say that an expanding rival is forcing Wal-Mart to “revamp its stores or face extinction.” Not likely. The Fool also says that the stock in this mystery company is up 435% since they recommended it.

Once a reader has given The Fool his e-mail address, the site tells him that the mystery company is Costco (COST). The stock performances of Wal-Mart and Costco over the last few years are close to same.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: September 23, 2009 – 11:03 am in Media, , ,

Top Analyst Upgrades (CSTR, COST, GOL, GOOG, HAR, LOW, MA, TWX, V, WCRX)

These are the early morning analyst upgrades and positive research calls we have seen from Wall Street analysts this Tuesday morning:

Coinstar (CSTR) Started as Overweight at Thomas Weisel.
Costco (COST) raised to Market Perform at William Blair.
GOL Linhas Areas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL) Raised to Buy at Argus.
Google (GOOG) Raised to Buy at ThinkEquity.
Harman (HAR) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.
Lowe’s (LOW) Raised to Overweight at Morgan Stanley.
Mastercard (MA) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Time Warner (TWX) Started as Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Visa (V) Started as Buy at Jefferies.
Warner Chilcott (WCRX) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: August 25, 2009 – 8:07 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Q2-2009 Holdings A to F (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BDX, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, COST, ETN, CEG)

Buffett ImageBerkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) has shown its Q2-2009  holdings as of June 30, 2009.  There are some portfolio changes that have been seen here from the end of Q1 and we have broken these down into 3 groups of ‘A to F’ and  ‘G to O’ and ‘P to Z’ so these are easier to see on one page.  Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘A ot F.’

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, same as  before.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5 million shares; same as last quarter.
  • Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE: BDX) appears to b a new holding over last quarter according to our records.  Berkshire holds 1.2 million shares (listed in SEC filing as Beckton Dickson).
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) 76.77 million shares; same as Q1 after the Q1 position was raised from Q4.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 9 million shares is lower than the 12 million in Q1 and marks three straight quarters of declines.
  • Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) right at 200 million shares, still has stayed the same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) roughly 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was listed as 62.485 million, which is officially lower than the Q1 period but we had already been told of cuts after that date so mostly the same.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) 3.2 million shares; looks like new holding but may have been missed before.
  • Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) appears to be completely sold off now.,but this was already being cut.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS G o O

BUFFETT HOLDINGS P to Z

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, key analyst calls, and more.

JON C. OGG
AUGUST 14, 2009

Posted on: August 14, 2009 – 4:45 pm in Buffett, Buffett Holdings, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Recession Is Still Biting Costco (COST)

bearInvestors looking for a retail recovery won’t find it at Costco (COST). The big box discount store operator said that sales in June fell 6% in stores that had been open at least a year. That is particularly bad news because Costco is known for low prices and stressed consumers should be shopping at its outlets, if they are shopping at all.

The Costco sales numbers were in line with Wall St. expectations, but that is cold comfort.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Posted on: July 9, 2009 – 4:28 am in Retail,

Chart Alert: Wal-Mart (WMT, TGT, COST)

Walmart LogoWal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is supposed to be the retail winner in a depression or recession as more and more consumers are forced to shop at the world’s largest retailer whether they want to or not.  There is no arguing about the notion that consumers can save money if they buy at Wal-Mart.  But several key issues have been happening here, and the company is at risk of having one of the worst charts of all current Dow Jones Industrial Average members.
Read More »

Posted on: June 17, 2009 – 3:40 pm in Charts, Retail, Technical Analysis, Trading Alert, , ,

Wal-Mart (WMT) Becomes The Nation’s New Employment Agency

WinterMany big-box retailers including Best Buy (BBY), Target (TGT), and Costco (COST) are struggling as the recession beats down their same-store sales. General retailers such as Sears (SHLD) are not faring any better. That means that the layoffs in the retail industry, which have already been extensive, are likely to continue, especially if the 2009 holiday season is weak.

Wal-Mart (WMT) is at the other end of the spectrum, by itself. The world’s largest retailer says it will add 22,000 jobs at US Wal-Mart stores this year. That is down slightly from 2008, but in an economy that is forcing hundreds of thousands of people out of work each month, it is extremely impressive. Read More »

Posted on: June 4, 2009 – 4:46 am in Retail, , , , ,

Top Analyst Upgrades (ADI, IRE, COST, NOK, PG, PLD, RDS-A, SOLF, TSN)

These are some of the top pre-market analyst upgrades and positive research calls we have seen from Wall Street early this Wednesday morning:

Analog Devices (ADI) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank; Raised to Neutral at Baird.
Bank of Ireland (IRE) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Costco (COST) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Nokia (NOK) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
Procter & Gamble (PG) Raised to Outperform at Barclays.
ProLogis (PLD) Raisede to Outperform at FBR.
Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-A) Raised to Neutral at Jefferies.
Solarfun (SOLF) Raised to Hold at Jefferies.
Tyson Foods (TSN) Raised to Buy at KeyBanc.

JON C. OGG

MAY 20, 2009

Posted on: May 20, 2009 – 6:39 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Q1-2009 Holdings A to F (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, CEG, COST, ETN)

Buffett ImageWe have just gotten the Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) holdings for the end of Q1-2009.  The cut off date here was March 31, 2009 and there are some changes that have been seen here from the e3nd of Q4.  We have broken these down into 3 groups of ‘A to F’ and  ‘G to O’ and ‘P to Z’ so these fit on one page easier.  Here is the list ‘A ot F.’

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, same as  before.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5 million shares; same as last quarter.
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) 76.77 million shares; HIGHER than 70.089 million shares of last quarter.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 12 million shares; LOWER than the 17.63 million and that is two straight quarters of declines.
  • Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) right at 200 million shares, still same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) roughly 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is really lower than the 71.228 million reported as this has been used for cutting taxes, and we already know that the number is lower than what the filing says.
  • Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) was just updated this week so the number is actually about 12.4 million rather than what the filing shows as being 14.828 million shares.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) 3.2 million shares; looks like new holding but may have been missed before.

Here is the full list of Buffett holdings “G to O”

Here is the full list of Buffett holdings “P to Z”

Jon C. Ogg
May 15, 2009

Posted on: May 15, 2009 – 4:06 pm in Activist Investor, Banking, Buffett, Buffett Holdings, Conglomerates, Insider Activity, Mutual Funds, Value Investing, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Target’s (TGT) Strength Makes Dissident’s Assault A Likely Failure

bankInvestor Bill Ackerman, who has held an investment in Target (TGT) for almost two years and has lost a great deal of money in the process, wants to replace part of the retailer’s board. Ackerman has been trying to get Target to separate some of its credit holdings into a new company to “unlock” the value of the financial arm of the firm. The recession and rising consumer defaults have made that plan look less attractive. Read More »

Posted on: May 11, 2009 – 4:47 am in Retail, , ,

Top Analyst Upgrades (COST, DEO, ESC, HD, LOW, TGT, VRSN, WMT)

These are some of the top pre-market analyst upgrades we have seen with about two and a half hours until the market opens this Friday morning:

Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) Started as Buy at Janney Montgomery.
Diageo (DEO) Raised to Neutral at UBS.
Emeritus Corp. (ESC) Raised to Outperform at Morgan Keegan.
Home Depot (HD) Started as Buy at Janney Montgomery.
Lowe’s (LOW) Started as Buy at Janney Montgomery.
Target (TGT) Started as Buy at Janney Montgomery.
VeriSign (VRSN) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Wal-Mart (WMT) Started as Buy at Janney Montgomery.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: May 8, 2009 – 6:01 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (BHP, COST, DRIV, GT, PX, PZN, RAI, ROK, VIP, VMC)

These are ten of the top analyst upgrades and downgrades we have seen from Wall Street early this Thursday morning:

BHP Billiton (BHP) Started as Outperform at RBC.
Costco (COST) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Digital River (DRIV) Raised to Perform at Oppenheimer.
Goodyear Tire (GT) Cut to Hold at Citigroup.
Praxair (PX) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Pzena Investment (PZN) Raised to Overweight at JPMorgan.
Reynolds American (RAI) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Rockwell Automation (ROK) Cut to Underperform at Baird.
Vimpel Comm (VIP) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Vulcan Materials (VMC) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: April 30, 2009 – 6:53 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 4/2/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaper1According to Reuters, the G-20 began the work of addressing the economic crisis.

Reuters reports that US auto sales may have bottomed.

Reuters reports that the House backed new laws for pay curbs at bailed out firms.

Reuters reports that Hank Greeenberg said AIG’s (AIG) problems are not his fault.

Reuters reports that CEOs often wait too long to file bankruptcy.

Reuters reports that Netflix (NFLX) delivered its 2 billionth movie.

Reuters reports that the US is facing danger of a second recession next year.

Reuters reports that Costco (COST) closed its home service stores.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Qwest (Q) may sell its long haul unit. Read More »

Posted on: April 2, 2009 – 3:23 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , ,

Top Analyst Calls (ABB, ABX, BBY, COST, HD, KSS, LOW, PAAS, UNH)

money-stack-image35These are some of the broad upgrades and positive research calls from Wall Street analysts that we have seen this Tuesday morning:

  • ABB (ABB) Raised to Buy at Deutsche Bank.
  • Barrick Gold (ABX) Raised to Outperform at CIBC.
  • Best Buy (BBY) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
  • Costco (COST) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
  • Home Depot (HD) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
  • Kohl’s (KSS) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
  • Lowe’s (LOW) Raised to Buy at Jefferies.
  • Pan American (PAAS) Raised to Outperform at CIBC.
  • UnitedHealth (UNH) Raised to Outperform at Bernstein.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: March 17, 2009 – 6:44 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , ,

BJ’s vs. Costco vs. Big Lots (BJ, COST, BIG)

money-stack-image9We have two entirely different reports this morning in the big box retail sector, and a wild card underdog winner.  BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. (NYSE: BJ) reported better-than-expected results, while Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) did not.  The good news is some of the bad news was anticipated.  Big Lots Inc. (NYSE: BIG) may be a wild card.
Read More »

Posted on: March 4, 2009 – 9:16 am in Earnings, Retail, , ,

Media Digest 2/3/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaper2According to Reuters, Obama spoke about the economy with optimism as his aides defended the budget.

Reuters reports that a Senate panel will question Swiss banking’s secrecy policy.

Reuters reports that foreclosures drove up the 2008 US home sales index.

Reuters reports that Bernanke had no choice other than to help AIG (AIG). Read More »

Posted on: March 4, 2009 – 4:01 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Disclose Holdings A to G (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, CEG, COST, GCI, GE, GSK)

buffett_image3It’s that time again.  Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) have filed with the SEC showing what the Oracle of Omaha owns in public stocks as of the quarter or as of December 31, 2008 in this case:  These are broken out alphabetically by company from A to G, along with some color on each stock compared to prior report:

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, looks same as before.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5,000,000 shares; same as last quarter but lower than the 9.1 million shares reported in June.
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) 70.089 million shares, higher than the 63,785,418 shares reported previously but we already knew this one was higher from prior transactions.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 17.63 million, down from 18.444 million last quarter.
  • Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) right at 200,000,000 shares, same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) just over 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) 79.896 million, above the 59.688 million in one unit, but was previously about 83.9 million total.  Hard to know if this is a real change or just more reporting or more/less units….
  • Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) 19.897 million shares, but this may have already ended after the last merger.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Gannett Co. (NYSE: GCI) 3.447 million shares, same as before.
  • General Electric Corp. (NYSE: GE) 7.777 million shares, same as before but that does not include the 10% interest bought last year.
  • GlaxoSmithkline (NYSE: GSK) 1.51 million shares, same as before.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS “H to R”

BUFFETT HOLDINGS “S to Z”

Jon C. Ogg
February 17, 2009

Posted on: February 17, 2009 – 5:54 pm in Activist Investor, Buffett, Buffett Holdings, Conglomerates, Financial Stocks, Mutual Funds, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,