In America's major sports leagues, there's a lot of discussion about who the "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time) is.

In the basketball league NBA, for example, LeBron James, who is currently still active with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan are available.

According to the analysts from Barclays, there are also several “GOATs” on the stock exchange, especially among America's retailers.

According to the analysts, one of these is the retail group Costco.

This assessment was last made in early March, after the Washington state-based wholesale chain presented convincing quarterly results.

Adjusted earnings per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2021-22 (ended February 13) were $2.92.

Analysts had given the company an average value of only $2.75, especially since Costco was also struggling with supply chain problems and higher personnel costs.

Net income was $1.30 billion, up from $951 million in the same period last year.

In the previous year, the group cited higher personnel costs in connection with COVID-19 as a negative factor.

Group-wide revenues were $50.9 billion in the second quarter, up 16.1 percent from a year earlier.

Costco also increased comparable sales by 14.4 percent in the past three-month period compared to the previous year.

Things went particularly well in North America.

In the United States, sales were up 15.8 percent, while comparable sales in Canada increased by as much as 16.0 percent.

The strategy of "class instead of mass" is working

Barclays analysts point out, among other things, that Costco can differentiate itself from the competition and achieve higher margins thanks to its low prices, especially in times of inflation.

However, Costco does not rely on a product range that encompasses all categories and tries to score with the lowest prices everywhere.

Instead, the range includes relatively few products compared to the size of the group and the branches.

But exactly in these one wants to convince according to the motto "class instead of mass" with high-quality third-party brands, the house brand Kirkland Signature and the lowest prices.

If you want to buy this, you have to be a member.

Annual membership is currently available in the United States for $60 or $120 plus sales tax.

In mid-February 2022, a total of 828 branches were in operation - 572 of them alone in the domestic market and in Puerto Rico.

There were 105 stores in Canada and 40 in Mexico.

Costco was not represented in Germany, but had four stores in Spain and two in France.

In addition, e-commerce offers are operated in various markets.

This area has become increasingly important in the course of the corona pandemic and the lockdowns imposed by the government.

Similar to its industry competitor Walmart, Costco is also putting the e-commerce giant Amazon under pressure with its increased push into online retail.

Founded by Jeff Bezos, the company was relatively free to operate online retail for a long time – Amazon has been facing more headwind for some time, especially from Walmart and Costco.

Costco is doing well at the depot

Costco shareholders have been able to look at their stock position in the portfolio with great satisfaction over the past few years.

The wholesale chain's share price closed the past year with a strong gain of around 50 percent.

The long-term trend also suggests that prices will continue to rise.

Costco stock, which is listed on the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500, has been climbing like a string for years.

Over a ten-year period, for example, the price has increased by an average of 21 percent per year.

The share even developed slightly better than the very successful benchmark index Nasdaq 100 (plus 19 percent per year).

A much better result was achieved compared to the broad S&P 500 index (plus 13 percent per year).

This also applies to the comparison with the industry competitor Walmart, which has only recorded an average annual price gain of 9 percent over the past ten years.