Costco is worth adding even at an expensive valuation, while McCormick, though cheap, looks less attractive because of the Unilever food acquisition it is pursuing. x.com
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Public Markets Investor, Opportunistic Buying & Cost-Basis Management
McCormick's Unilever deal, as structured, is no reason to buy the dip after the stock was hit on the news. x.com
McCormick's deal to roughly double its share count to buy Europe's slowest-growing food consumer packaged goods business looks like a poor move made after its compounder multiple had already disappeared. Volumes held up until 2022 before some mix of price elasticity and GLP-1 drugs hurt them, and management incentives tied to three-year cumulative net sales growth help explain chasing size. x.com x.com x.com
Costco and Walmart's valuations have diverged from most US food and beverage stocks. Most of the group trades near 20-year valuation lows, while these two have entered a mini-bubble. x.com
Costco is a wonderful execution story whose business only gets better through consumer pain. Its Kirkland brand is more valuable than 90% of consumer brands today. The stock has been too expensive this cycle, and not owning it in size was a mistake; it is worth owning, though the right entry level is unclear. Sysco's moves illustrate the deeper transformation underway. x.com
Scared money is flowing into Costco as a flight to safety, driving a box breakout. It may not be the best choice, but fearful buyers are not being selective right now. x.com
Costco deserves to go nowhere at a 40+ P/E, a valuation that is simply too high for even a well-loved business. x.com
Costco's commitment to employees, such as covering a family's health care needs and adjusting work schedules for hard circumstances, drives a virtuous cycle. Being a good employer and corporate citizen and treating consumers honestly and fairly is rewarded with strong loyalty and financial success. x.com
Costco is the preferred hedge against OpenAI's much higher valuation relative to revenue. Costco's cited $441B valuation comes with $275B revenue, versus OpenAI's $1.4T valuation and $50B revenue. x.com
Costco is an amazing company, but at roughly 40x forward earnings its stock is pricing in a lot of perfection. x.com
Walmart and Costco should gain as soaring diesel costs push consumers to trade down. Diesel is up 35% in 40 days and moves the trucks that stock every US shelf, and though America produces about as much oil as it uses, oil trades globally, so Europe's shortage hits US prices. Retailers must raise prices and lose volume or absorb costs and miss guidance. Discounters are big enough to absorb the shock and win trade-down shoppers; packaged food, staples and restaurants look best avoided. x.com … Show more