Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) stock is almost never available at a price that investors would consider a steal. The retailer's competitive and financial strengths are well known on Wall Street, and so even temporary declines in valuation tend to disappear quickly.

Sure, the company isn't highly profitable. But what it lacks in operating profit margin it makes up for in sales and earnings stability. Its predictable profits make it stand out in a retailing industry that's prone to wild swings on this core metric.

Costco can still surprise investors with good news, though, as it did in its late September fourth-quarter earnings report.

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Source Fool.com