Partners on Ockham

“… It goes higher. Oh, boy. I hate the results of my work! I hate it! But I may go to COSTCO, but I have to buy the stock of bj’s. Stay with cramer! >> announcer: next, try to keep up with cramer as he takes your calls rapid-fire in an all new …” …more details…

“… Georgia ba-ba-ba-ba-boo-yah. >> love a stuttering boo-yah. Love the regional feel about it. >> caller: i’m a long-time investor. I bought WALMART at $48. And I just come to know they have opened a new store in india for a long-term perspective what do you think about WALMART in — >> i’m glad you used the term long-term, danish, and here’s why. I sold my WALMART today for trartable trust, took a little gain. Why did I do that? Because right now people want companies that are going to do exceptionally well on the turn. And WALMART’s going to be I think the fact that it’s expanding to places like india are great news, because it’s run out of room in the united for the longer term I would have never sold WALMART. But given the excitement of this market, I too feel the need for my charitable trust to have more juice, more gearing to the longer term you’re going to be shorter term WALMART I feel could, versus other retailers, flatline, which is why I say — >> don’t buy. Don’t buy. >> let’s go to caisson in connecticut. …” …more details…

“… But which is the better stock? And they are two different okay. Let’s look at that. Bj’s trades at 13 times next year’s earnings estimates. But get this. COSTCO, for all of its faults, trades at 18 times next year’s given how much better bj’s is positioned at the moment, how much growth it has ahead of it, and all it’s been doing to improve itself, not to mention COSTCO’s seeming inability to consistently deliver decent quarterly results as much as I like to shop there, I think the disparity’s too great. Right here, bj’s still closer to its 52-week low than its 52-week I think the stock has much further to go. The bottom line. Two stocks enter, one stock sorry, COSTCO. That’s how it works. We can’t endorse both as trade down but not two down plays. And right now bj’s wholesale club, as sad as this is for me, because I truly do not like to shop there as much as COSTCO, it looks like to be the one to buy. Danish in georgia? Danish? Pastry? …” …more details…

“… Sorry, costco. That’s how it works. We can’t endorse both as trade down but not two down plays. And right now BJ’S WHOLESALE CLUB, as sad as this is for me, because I truly do not like to shop there as much as costco, it looks like to be the one to buy. …” …more details…

“… Excluding fuel, bj’s comps scored a really respectable 7.5% excluding fuel this past quarter. Up from 6.4% the previous COSTCO. Used to have comps at high as 6% three quarters ago. Reported 0% growth, which really isn’t growth at all, this past oh, certainly the company’s a better operator than bj’s longer …” …more details…

“… With that in aother stawith that in other sta ya and ya foo gro that can major facts I like bj’s. Plus bj’s haas has much better this is painful because COSTCO’s bj’s hasn’t missed the street’s four quarters while COSTCO has gone just two for four. Great in baseball, crummy in this game. With earnings falling 7% shy of …” …more details…

“… Still, what matters most with retail is how much room a company has to expand and I have to tell you that bj’s has so much more room to put up new stores than COSTCO does that this fact all by itself makes me like it so much more. Retail stocks tend to run out of appreciation when the underlying companies run out of room to …” …more details…

“… Concentration for bj’s, 15% of its stores in florida. Another major victim of the housing collapse and the but that’s considerably smaller than COSTCO’s concentration in and bj’s also has all the stores in new york, massachusetts, and my home state of new jersey with the recession as bad as it may seem, simply isn’t as worse as other areas. …” …more details…

“… Differences, which can tell us a lot about which company we’d rather own given how alike the two really are in most respects, frankly. The biggest difference between COSTCO and bj’s is one you might not think of because you’re bj’s or you’re COSTCO. And that’s geography. See, bj "uss primarily an east coast operation. 19% of its 181 stores in new york, 15% florida, 11% each in massachusetts and new jersey. COSTCO, on the other hand-s much more of a west coast chain, with 28% of its 403 stores in california, and its second largest concentration in washington, where 7% of its stores are located. COSTCO’s concentration in california has been good for business given it’s one of the hardest hit states in the country when it comes to the slowdown and high unemployment. Now, look, that could turn to a positive if there’s a big turn in california. But while I believe in the …” …more details…

“… About stocks. Anyway — I can’t resist. Where’s the pie? How tempting. Anyway, where do we start? With two companies as similar as COSTCO and bj’s you can get right down to business comparing them based on the key metrics. Very important term. Key metrics for their particular the most important measures of the numbers that give you the …” …more details…