By Nicholas P. Brown and Juveria Tabassum
May 28 (Reuters) – Costco Wholesale reaped the spoils of surging gas prices, as more consumers sought out its lower-priced fuel, helping it top market expectations for third-quarter U.S. sales.
Just as Walmart beat sales expectations last week while warning that consumer spending remains stressed from inflation, Costco painted a picture of a budget-conscious shopper driven to its members-only wholesale club as price anxiety rises.
The final five weeks of the quarter were Costco’s highest ever in terms of sales volume, CEO Ron Vachris said on an earnings conference call on Thursday.
Gas prices exceeding $4 per gallon, on the rise as the Iran War drags on, drove many Costco members to use its gas stations for the first time, Vachris said.
The company took advantage, lowering gas prices to drive volume. “We’ve widened our gaps in terms of price,” Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip said on the call. “We know that’s something that’s very high on our members’ minds.”
The uptick in fuel fill-ups could boost Costco’s bottom line, as members who use its gas stations typically spend more in the warehouses, Vachris said.
FOOD PRICES LOWER THAN OTHER CATEGORIES
Costco said it has maintained lower prices on beef, which, along with higher transportation costs, affected its margin in the third quarter.
Prices, however, stayed higher for appliances due to the elevated cost of memory chips, Millerchip said. If oil prices stay high, items with plastic, or apparel made of polyester or cotton, could remain more expensive, he said.
“That investment in everyday-low-price positioning during a period of macroeconomic uncertainty is classic Costco,” said Bryan Hayes, stock strategist at Zacks Investment Research. But, he said, “it does suggest that the gross margin line could face modest near-term pressure as the company prioritizes member loyalty over rate.”
Including gas, U.S. comparable sales jumped 9.4% during the quarter, beating analysts’ estimate of a near 7% rise, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Costco’s shares have gained about 15% so far this year, compared with an 8% rise in the S&P 500 Consumer Staples index. They were unchanged in extended trading.
Costco is also investing in fast delivery, at a time when giants such as Walmart and Amazon are whittling down shipping times in a quest for e-commerce dominance. Costco’s average same-day delivery time in the U.S. is now less than 45 minutes, Vachris said.
Refunds from outlawed tariffs, meanwhile, were expected to begin flowing in the next two to three months, the company said.
Vachris reiterated that tariff refunds would pass on to consumers in some form, depending on the amount of return and developments in the March class action lawsuit filed against Costco by customers seeking a share of refunds.
Total quarterly revenue rose 12% to $70.53 billion, beating analysts’ estimate of $69.81 billion.
Its net income jumped 15% to $2.19 billion, while adjusted earnings per share of $4.93 met expectations.
(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
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