Costco Wholesale (Nasdaq: COST) announced its results for the most recent quarter on May 24, 2012. Costco Wholesale operates membership warehouses that offer a selection of nationally branded and selected private-label products in categories such as food, appliances, and sporting goods, at low prices.
In most situations, when earnings do not meet analyst estimates, a business' stock price will tend to drop. On the other hand, when actual earnings beat estimates by a significant amount, the share price will likely surge.SEE: 5 Tricks Companies Use During Earnings Season
The Numbers:
Costco Wholesale's EPS outpaced analyst estimates while the company's revenues came in below predictions. The company reported 88 cents per share versus the 87 cents per share estimate and revenues of $21.85 billion versus the $22.11 billion estimate. EPS rose 20.5% while revenue climbed 5.9% from the same period last year. Costco Wholesale's revenue has grown during each of the past four quarters on a year-over-year basis. The company's net income for the quarter rose 19.1% to $386 million. Last quarter marked the third in a row of rising net income.
A Look Back:
Last quarter was the fifth in a row that the company saw shrinking gross margins, as they fell 1.8 percentage points from the year-earlier quarter to 10.6%. In that span, margins have contracted an average of 0.7 percentage point per quarter on a year-over-year basis.
Net income has increased 10.3% year-over-year on average across the last five quarters. The biggest gain came in the most recent quarter, when income climbed 19.1% from the year-earlier quarter.
Looking Ahead:
For next quarter, analysts have a more positive outlook about the company's expected results. The average estimate for the fourth quarter is $1.29 per share, up from $1.28 90 days ago. Increasing earnings estimate is a positive sign about the company and it typically leads a increase in the stock price. For the fiscal year, the average estimate has moved down from $3.85 a share to $3.84 over the last 60 days.
(Company fundamentals provided by Xignite Financials. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks)
Teenager, 19, dies and two of his friends are hospitalised after taking £10 'legal high' Benzo Fury at music festival - Daily Mail
- Alex Heriot, 19, collapsed in the main area at the RockNess festival at Dores, on the shores of Loch Ness, on Saturday night
- Before festival he had tweeted: 'To say I am excited for RockNess 2012 is an absolute understatement'
- Two other festival goers believed to be friends of the dead teenager described as being in a 'comfortable' condition
- Benzo Fury can be bought wholesale over the internet and usually sells for 10 a pill, or 25 for three
By Jill Reilly
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Alex Heriot, 19, collapsed at the RockNess festival
The devastated family of a teenager who collapsed and died at a music festival after apparently taking a 'legal high' have warned about the dangers of taking drugs.
The grieving family of Alex Herriot described the 19-year-old as a 'happy, caring and kind young man' after he collapsed at the RockNess festival in Scotland.
Mr Herriot, from Portobello in Edinburgh, is thought to have experimented with a legal drug called Benzo Fury at the festival, on the shores of Loch News at Dores in the Highlands.
The 19-year-old collapsed in the main area on Saturday night and died in hospital a short time later. His relatives say he was not a habitual user of drugs and had been warned to steer clear of them.
They spoke of their devastation at the loss of an 'immensely popular' young man, saying they would never get over his death.
In a statement issued through Northern Constabulary, the family said: 'Alex, our much loved son, was happy, caring, kind, loyal and affectionate and joined in enthusiastically with any project. He was very popular with a large group of close, good friends.
'He was beautiful both on the outside and the inside where it matters most. He loved his life.
'The fact that we will not be seeing him wandering around the house with his laptop playing his music, teasing his sister and asking if there was any food and 'could he have a bus fare please' is unbearable.
'Alex was attending a music festival which he had been looking forward to enormously. As a young man who enjoyed life, it was unfortunate he chose to experiment with a drug that had such a catastrophic effect on his system.
'We are devastated that we have lost him but anything he did, in every area of his life, was done with good intent, in this case to get the most out of his festival experience.'
Mr Herriot had almost completed an HND in media studies and planned to go to Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University. He was said to have enjoyed film, anime, comedy and music.
Thanking the police and the medics who tried to save his life, the family said: 'The sudden death of our beloved son Alex has left his family in a state of shock and is a loss we will never get over.
On Thursday, the teenager, had written on his Twitter profile page about how much he was looking forward to the Scottish music festival
Festival: More than 30,000 people attended the weekend event and police said 144 revellers had been arrested over drug possession and one for dealing
Friends: Hours later, a 19-year-old woman and 20-year-old man, believed to be friends of the dead teenager, were taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness
WHAT IS 'LEGAL HIGH 'BENZO FURY?
‘Legal highs’ are substances which produce the same, or similar effects, to drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, but are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
There are a large number of 'legal highs' - some are known by their brand/product name, such as Benzo Fury and it's not always clear what's in these products and their contents can change regularly.
Benzo Fury is a man-made amphetamine which can give users a euphoric high.
It induces feelings of empathy similar to Class A drug ecstasy.
Benzo Fury is also a stimulant and it's side effects include loss of appetite, hallucinations and paranoia.
Controversial 'legal highs' such as Benzo Fury and Ivory Wave are manufactured in laboratories in the Far East and eastern Europe.
They have become a popular alternative to illegal ecstasy and Meow Meow..
'He was a very special person, always in a good mood, funny, interested in everything around him, immensely popular and loved by everyone who knew him.
'He had everything going for him: personality in abundance, very good, close friends, a large extended family unit that supported and adored him; and we are all devastated by our loss.'
In a warning to other youngsters, they said: 'Alex was not a habitual drug user. We know that young people dabble in drugs and Alex had been warned to steer clear. Please, please be aware that certain drugs can kill and please don't be the next youngster to leave their family bereft.'
Mr Herriot died in the early hours of Sunday morning at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, failing to respond to treatment.
Police said over the weekend that early indications show that he may have taken drugs.
Officers said a 19-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man were also taken to hospital from the festival in the early hours of Sunday morning. They are thought to have taken drugs, including so-called legal highs.
The man and woman are described as being in a ‘comfortable’ condition.
Northern Constabulary confirmed Mr Heriot’s death is believed to be drug-related but would not say whether he had taken Benzo Fury.
Toxicology tests are being carried out to discover what substance or mixture, if any, was involved.
Benzo Fury can be bought wholesale over the internet and usually sells for 10 a pill, or 25 for three.
Mr Heriot's father told the Daily Record: 'We are still talking to the police liaison people and we are not sure of the full circumstances of what has happened.
'We are still struggling to take it in.'
On Thursday, the teenager, who was studying at Jewel and Esk College in Dalkeith, Midlothian, had written on his Twitter webpage about how much he was looking forward to the festival, headlined by acts including Mumford & Sons.
Benzo Fury can be bought wholesale over the internet and usually sells for 10 a pill, or 25 for three.
He wrote: ‘To say I am excited for RockNess 2012 is an absolute understatement.’
More than 30,000 people attended the weekend event and police said 144 revellers had been arrested over drug possession and one for dealing.
Legal highs defeat sniffer dogs which are not trained to detect legal substances and so far no other Benzo Fury has been found.
Police and organisers minimised the risk of controlled drugs at the festival through measures, including searches and the use of drugs dogs as well as amnesty bins.
Event commander, Superintendent Stevie Mackay, said: 'Taking drugs or any medicines, which you have not been prescribed, is an extremely risky thing to do.
'If anyone has the tablets described or any other drug, whether controlled or a 'legal high', in their possession, they are advised not to take them and to hand these in.
'Amnesty bins are available at the main Nesstival entrance or anyone can hand in substances to Crew 2000 at the welfare tent.'
‘Legal highs’ are substances which produce the same, or similar effects, to drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, but are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
There are a large number of 'legal highs' - some are known by their brand/product name, such as Benzo Fury and it's not always clear what's in these products and their contents can change regularly.
Legal high deaths: Hester Stewart's body, left, was found next to a bottle of GBL in a house in Brighton after a party while Lois Waters, right 24, is believed to have taken party drug mephedrone - known as meow meow - in the lead up to her death
In recent years there have been several highly publicised cases of young people dying after taking drugs which were legal highs.
Hester Stewart's body, 21, was found next to a bottle of GBL in a house in Brighton after a party in 2009, while Lois Waters, 24, is believed to have taken party drug mephedrone - known as meow meow - in the lead up to her death in 2009.
Both substances are now banned, but health professionals and police fear each time a drug is outlawed, a new alternative is introduced on to the market.
Benzo Fury is a man-made amphetamine which can give users a euphoric high and induces feelings of empathy similar to ecstasy.
It is also a stimulant and its side effects include loss of appetite, hallucinations and paranoia.
Fatal collision: Two men killed in a road crash on Friday that involved a bus taking people to RockNess have been named as Mark McFarlane, 38, and Barry Murray, 28
Controversial 'legal highs' such as Benzo Fury are usually produced in laboratories in the Far East and eastern Europe.
They have become a popular alternative to illegal ecstasy and the now banned drug meow meow.
Meanwhile two men killed in a road crash on Friday that involved a bus taking people to RockNess have been named.
A van driver and passenger died in the accident at Ralia, near Newtonmore, Inverness-shire.
Northern Constabulary said the men were Mark McFarlane, 38, and Barry Murray, 28, decorators from the Glasgow area.
Meanwhile, police are anxious to trace Zoe McArthur, 18, of Edinburgh, who was last seen on Saturday evening at the festival.
It's a Hungry Game for Jennifer Lawrence... as she goes shopping for groceries - Daily Mail
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Jennifer Lawrence was the image of bohemian chic as she headed to the supermarket yesterday to stock up on groceries.
The Hunger Games actress donned a floaty patterned skirt for her outing to Whole Foods in Los Angeles to stock up on food.
A lettuce could be seen peeping out from the top of her bag as she left the store, before continuing her shopping trip at high-end homeware shop Williams-Sonoma.
Feeling hungry: Jennifer Lawrence was spotted leaving Whole Foods in Los Angeles yesterday
Jennifer, 21, completed her hippy-esque look with a grey T-shift and green jacket, teamed with a white crochet bag.
Not very filling: A lettuce could be seen peeping out the top of her bag
The actress has recently returned from London with boyfriend Nicholas Holt.
While there the pair enjoyed the Queen's Jubilee celebrations, including watching the procession down the River Thames.
She recently finished work on comedy film Silver Linings Playbook, in which she co-stars with Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Julia Stiles.
Jennifer and boyfriend Nicholas, who met on the set of X Men: First Class in 2010, went public with their relationship last year.
Bohemian chic: The 21-year-old actress donned a floaty patterned dress, teamed with a grey T-shirt, green jacket and a crochet bag
Getting in the goods: After her grocery trip she headed to high-end homeware store Williams-Sonoma
Lawrence with Brit boyfriend Nicholas Holt in London earlier this month
While the couple have been tight-lipped on the subject of their relationship, Jennifer did hint at what may have attracted her to the actor during an interview earlier this year.
She told UK Glamour magazine: 'British men have these wonderful manners, and everything they say is funnier just because of the accent.
'There’s this cute "I'm trying to be adorable because I know you’re mad at me" accent, and then the drunk accent where all the consonants have vanished.
Having spent a lot of time in the UK since she started dating Hoult, Lawrence has also developed a fondness for the country's fashion.
She explained: 'I love the relaxed way British girls dress. I think I dress like one.
'I like Topshop, Portobello Road and Selfridges - although I always get Selfridges and Waitrose mixed up, which has led to a few disappointing shopping trips.'
Rising star: Lawrence seen in character as Katniss Everdeen in her blockbuster hit, The Hunger Games
Beef wholesale values improving - CattleNetwork.com
The Choice-Select spread has widened sharply in recent weeks, which is the typical seasonal tendency at this time of year. The latest boxed beef values increase the Choice-Select spread to $12.15/cwt., about double the $6.03 spread this time last year. The spread is also above the five year average level of $10.13/cwt. (for this time of year), which represent the first time the spread has exceeded the five year average weekly level since the first week of January. Thus, the Choice-Select spread has gone from a seasonal low in late March of $0.30/cwt. (well below the average seasonal low) to current levels above the average level for this time of year.
What do the increase in both Choice and Select boxed beef values from year ago levels and the widening of the Choice-Select spread in recent weeks tell us about beef market conditions and, in particular, about beef demand? Total beef production is down 2.8 percent so far this year so higher prices would be expected with steady beef demand. Thus, higher boxed beef prices do not necessarily reflect increased beef demand, though they do suggest that demand is holding steady in the face of reduced supplies and higher prices. However, the increase in Choice relative to Select prices does suggest stronger demand for high quality beef. This is borne out in the changing values of various wholesale cuts. At the current time, Choice wholesale values for Ribeye and Tenderloins are up 27 and 24 percent year over year while Chucks and Rounds are up 13 and 6 percent compared to last year.
The increase in wholesale beef prices from year ago levels could be due mostly to reduced beef production so far this year. However, the sharper increase in middle meat values relative to end meat values and the wider Choice-Select spread suggest that beef demand is improving. Wholesale values are expected to increase further with sharper year over year beef production decreases in the third quarter. Continued improvement in beef demand will determine how much higher wholesale beef prices may go.
Source: Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist
Wholesale Bridal Dresses Beautiful And Romantic - Salon
Wedding is the most important day in your life,and the wedding dresses in ceremony is the most important clothing,you can show your style and active your unique charm.How to choose the best one for you?My suggestion is to check out the bride, bridal attire, and keep in spirit dresses the principle to be in harmony with the actual bride. Then, I would want to warn that not forget financial crisis and time problem. There are lots of ways to get wholesale wedding dresses and the Internet is a better option for this purpose.You can buy cherished bridesmaid dresses, even once the wedding you can have. And you need and avoid buying heavy dresses, that make you uncomfortable it is, will carry on typically the casual occasions. During your wedding day as a bridesmaid,wholesale bridal dresses, there are a lot things that takes ones own attention. Entirely possible you have got employed to be for your day there is an improved option for easier Brautjunferkleider that allowing for easy movement.
Please remember to choose some accessories to fit for your wedding gown,such as long wedding veils,sparkly necklace.Since short wedding dress may cost you not too much money, you may feel random to choose accessories to add the beauty of your gown. Always keep in mind that choose something matching the color,the design of your wedding dress.
Keep in mind that could be nice each bridesmaid if she plays this role with heart and soul.
Therefore, if you may be invited to the wedding like a bridesmaid, you must exercising special care when investing in your Brautjunferkleider.Want to take 100s of hours to create your bridesmaids, any time you get the invitation business card? The answer is certainly Yes.
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You'll want to intensively explore the The web, how the best bridal gowns to decide on shops with cheapest bridesmaid dress.Usually are the web page an expert column comes with, to some ideas for the choice of the bridesmaid dress in order to have, most importantly of the can tell you whether you given inside deal by the observation belonging to the comments. Internet is one of the greatest ways, rely can get of Brautjunferkleides with cheap deals. A good online shops provide pricing adequate return and then to satisfy buyers to any fullest.Comparing the price in the current market, you can certainly much. Sometimes can over the internet merchants offer free shipping and delivery, that your trip can save fees for any purchase of the cheap China clothing.
Google defends against claims of rigged search results - CIO UK
Google is aggressively defending itself against accusations it manipulates its search results based on ad payments, and it is encouraging users to go elsewhere if they don't like what the company does.
A recent blog it posted came in response to a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece in which Nextag CEO Jeffrey Katz slammed the company and its practices.
Katz wrote that his comparison shopping site analyzes the search traffic it receives from Google and can tell "when Google makes changes to its algorithms that effectively punish its competitors," including his company.
"Our data, which we shared with the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 21, 2011, shows without a doubt that Google has stacked the deck. And as a result, it has shifted from a true search site into a commerce site -- a commerce site whose search algorithm favors products and services from Google and those from companies able to spend the most on advertising," Katz wrote.
Google was quick to counter with a detailed blog to defend itself.
Senior VP of Engineering Amit Singhal wrote that Google's natural search results are never influenced by payment and that its "ads and commercial experiences are clearly labeled and distinct from the unpaid results, and we recently announced new improvements to labeling of shopping results."
Google announced those "improvements" to shopping results on May 31 and said by the end of the year its product search results will be limited to paid advertising and be called Google Shopping. It said this would lead to better shopping results for users because "having a commercial relationship with merchants will encourage them to keep their product information fresh and up to date."
Katz isn't the only one who takes issue with how Google is doing things these days.
"[P]aid inclusion was one of the original sins Google listed as part of its 'Don't Be Evil' creed. But these days, Google seems comfortable with paid inclusion, raising potential concerns for publishers and searchers alike," wrote Marketing Land's Danny Sullivan.
Singhal says Google clearly labels its ads and commercial experiences as such and that they're not mixed in with unpaid results.
"This is in contrast to most comparison shopping sites, which receive payment from merchants but often don't clearly label search results as being influenced by payment," he wrote.
As for Katz's declaration that changes Google makes to its algorithms have punished his company, Singhal wrote that Google makes more than 500 changes to its algorithms a year so as to help users, not websites.
"Our algorithms are always designed to give users the most relevant results -- and sometimes the best result isn't a website, but a map, a weather forecast, a fact, a quick answer, or specialized image, shopping, flight, or movie results. And that's not just Google; Bing, Yahoo and other search engines do the same thing," he wrote.
Most interesting, though, is Singhal's advice that if anyone doesn't like Google's search results, they can go ahead and use a different engine -- he even shared links directly to Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and Google Minus Google.
Whether or not you like what Google is doing, you can't deny it has pluck.
To check out the rest of Singhal's assertions, visit the Google Public Policy Blog where he also says some of the company's largest advertisers are competitors and that "the great thing about the openness of the Internet is that if users don't find our results relevant and useful, they can easily navigate to Nextag, Amazon, Yelp, Bing or any other website." Follow Christina on Twitter and Google+ for even more tech news and commentary and follow Today@PCWorld on Twitter, too.
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses Announces The Great Summer Sunglasses Contest In Support of Cataract Awareness Month And UV Safety Month - YAHOO!
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses is launching a new contest this summer called the Great Summer Sunglasses Contest, in support of Prevent Blindness America's national Cataract Awareness Month and UV Safety Month.
Salem, OR (PRWEB) June 11, 2012
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses believes in maintaining good eye health with the use of proper eye protection. In support of Prevent Blindness America's (preventblindness.org) national Cataract Awareness Month (June 1st - 30th) and UV Safety Month (July 1- 31st), CTS Wholesale Sunglasses is announcing a new 30-day contest.According to Prevent Blindness America’s 2008 Vision Problems in the U.S. report, 50% of all Americans will develop cataracts by age 80, and more than 22 million Americans age 40 and older already have cataracts in one stage of another. It is predicted that by 2020, 30.1 million Americans 40 plus years of age will have cataracts. One of the known causes of cataracts is exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), recent studies have shown that prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays without protection may cause serious eye conditions, such as cataracts and macular degeneration, which can lead to vision loss and even blindness.
"We really believe in proper eye protection," says Kirk Bachelder, owner of CTS Wholesale LLC, "Especially when it comes to spending extended periods of time outdoors during the summer."
Summer is a busy time for Bachelder and his employees at CTS Wholesale Sunglasses. Not only are they busy filling many of their retailers' orders, who are stocking up on supplies in anticipation of a warm and sunny summer, but they are also busy manning their own vendor booths at the many summer festivals and fairs across the country. "We know firsthand just how important a pair of sunglasses is when spending long days outside in the summer," says Bachelder.
The Great Summer Sunglasses Contest will begin on Friday, June 15th, 2012 and run until Saturday, July 14th, 2012, where one lucky winner will have the option to choose from a $100 gift certificate to CTSwholesaleSunglasses.com or a fully loaded sunglasses display rack.
To enter the contest, simply visit the blog (http://blog.ctswholesalesunglasses.com) on Friday June 15th. There is no purchase necessary and entrants may enter once every day for the full contest.
About CTS Wholesale LLC:
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses markets bulk sunglasses, party hats, oil lighters and other items for retailers to buy conveniently at any time and place from the Internet store. Toll-free numbers help to clarify doubts and get any questions answered before finalizing the order. Visit the online store at http://www.CTSwholesaleSunglasses.com.
Kirk Bachelder
CTS Wholesale LLC.
503.364.3486
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what is this 'drugs' real use?
- amy, luck of the irish , 11/6/2012 17:09
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