Tax Issue Weighs on Costco's Profit In Latest Quarter
04 October 2019 - 7:11AM
Dow Jones News
By Micah Maidenberg
Revenue increased 7% at Costco Wholesale Corp. in the company's
latest quarter, but a tax issue hurt the company's profit.
Costco said it generated about $47.5 billion in net sales and
membership fees in its fiscal fourth quarter, up from $44.41
billion the year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected
$47.44 billion in revenue for the latest period.
Profit rose to almost $1.10 billion, or $2.47 a share, from
$1.04 billion, or $2.36 a share, the year earlier. Analysts
expected $2.54 a share in adjusted profit.
The company recorded what it called a $123 million pretax
reserve related to a product-tax assessment in the quarter,
lowering earnings.
Along with rival Walmart Inc., Costco has shown it can draw in
customers and notch higher sales in a shifting retail market.
Investors have responded by bidding up shares in the Issaquah,
Wash.-based company 42% so far this year.
The company has been helped along by consumer spending, which
has been a strength for the U.S. economy for much of the year amid
worries about slowing global growth and uncertainty related to
tariffs. However, household spending rose just 0.1% in August from
July on a seasonally adjusted basis, slower than the first seven
months of the year.
Comparable sales, or those from Costco warehouses open for more
than a year as well as online sales, increased 5% for the company's
quarter that ended Sept. 1. Comparable sales in the U.S. were up
about 6%.
Shares of Costco fell 1.6% in postmarket trading.
Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 03, 2019 16:56 ET (20:56 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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