10 Best Retail Stocks To Invest In

2. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 75

Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates membership warehouses and e-commerce sites offering an elaborate selection of branded and private-label products in a broad category range. The company attained its target of 30 new warehouse openings in fiscal 2024, which included one relocation and resulted in 29 net new buildings. It expanded its operations to Maine, bringing it to 47 states in the US. The company is also seeing growth opportunities worldwide, with its fiscal 2025 plans holding 12 of its planned 29 openings outside the US.

With three of the company’s warehouses being relocations, it has plans to add 26 net new buildings in fiscal 2025. In addition, Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) is expanding its e-commerce business, with Costco Logistics also running on a positive momentum. Much of the growth was attributed to appliances and furniture in big and bulky. Logistics delivered more than 4.5 million items in the year, up 29% over the prior year.

The company is continually enhancing its member experience by improving delivery times, scheduling functionality, and item assortment. Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) ranks second on our list of the best retail stocks to invest in.

Madison Sustainable Equity Fund stated the following regarding Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:

“Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) continues to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability by lowering its emissions. For example, it has converted its Kirkland Signature laundry packs from plastic tubs to a pouch. This has reduced plastic packaging by 80%. It has also moved to localize production of bulky items such as water, paper, and laundry detergents. Manufacturing these goods closer to the countries in which they are sold reduces emissions associated with shipping.”