COST

Affirm's Financial Performance: Affirm's shares dropped after the company issued a weak revenue forecast for the quarter, predicting between $815 million and $845 million, which fell short of analyst expectations. Despite this, CEO Max Levchin remains optimistic about growth through 0% loans aimed at building customer loyalty.

Market Reactions and Analyst Opinions: While Affirm's stock has declined by 22% this year, some analysts have upgraded their ratings, citing potential growth opportunities and partnerships, such as with Costco. Goldman Sachs maintains a buy rating, highlighting Affirm's position as a strong competitor in the buy now, pay later market.

COSTCO's Performance: COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP (COST) has received a high rating of 88% from Validea's Twin Momentum Investor model, indicating strong interest based on its fundamentals and valuation within the Retail (Specialty) industry.

Dashan Huang's Strategy: The model, developed by Dashan Huang, combines price momentum with improving fundamental metrics to identify stocks likely to outperform the market, highlighting seven key financial variables that contribute to this analysis.

Costco's Sales Performance: J.P. Morgan analyst Christopher Horvers maintained an Overweight rating on Costco, raising the price target to $1088, noting a 7.1% increase in U.S. core comparable sales for April, despite challenges from Easter timing shifts and underperformance in Canada and other international markets.

Consumer Behavior Insights: The report highlighted shifts in consumer purchasing habits due to inflation, with increased demand for lower-cost beef cuts and strong performance in specific U.S. regions and e-commerce sales, indicating Costco's resilience and market share gains amidst broader economic pressures.