Costco Falls Amid Allegations Of Kickbacks Related To Prescription Drugs


27% profit every 20 days?

This is what Nic Chahine averages with his option buys. Not selling covered calls or spreads… BUYING options. Most traders don’t even have a winning percentage of 27% buying options. He has an 83% win rate. Here’s how he does it.


Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) were trading lower Wednesday and the oversized decline versus the broader indices is being attributed by some traders to a concerning report out of Canada.

What Happened

Canada's state broadcaster, CBC, this week posted a trailer for its Fifth Estate investigative platform titled "Prescription Drugs: The Costco Kickbacks." The video description discusses secret audio tapes and an interview with an industry whistleblower that reveals a "shady practice" taking place across the entire prescription drug space, including at Costco.

"A Fifth Estate investigation shows how Costco pressed one generic drug company for illegal payments to stock their products -- undermining government attempts to protect consumers," the description said.

Why It's Important

The Fifth Estate report isn't necessarily anything new as Costco has been investigated in the past over similar allegations. A CBC article dated Dec. 2, 2016, said the wholesaler giant was being investigated for violations of the Ontario Drug Benefits Act. This provision doesn't allow operators pharmacies to accept rebates for stocking drugs.

Moreover, Costco pharmacy directors were fined $20,000 after admitting they solicited more than $1.2 million in unlawful payments, the Toronto Star reported in early January.

What's Next

The extent of claims coming from The Fifth Estate aren't known. The full episode will air Friday, March 16. It's also unclear what relation, if any, exists between allegations of wrongdoing in Canada has in Costco's U.S. business.

Costco's stock was trading around $184.68 at time of publication, down 1.5 percent on the day.

Costco 'Has The Tools To Compete And Win': Analysts React To Retailer's Q2 Report

Stifel Remains A Costco Bull After In-Line Q2

Image credit: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States - Costco Wholesale Store, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons


27% profit every 20 days?

This is what Nic Chahine averages with his option buys. Not selling covered calls or spreads… BUYING options. Most traders don’t even have a winning percentage of 27% buying options. He has an 83% win rate. Here’s how he does it.


ENTER TO WIN $500 IN STOCK OR CRYPTO

Enter your email and you'll also get Benzinga's ultimate morning update AND a free $30 gift card and more!

Posted In: NewsRumorsGlobalMoversMediaTrading IdeasCBCpharmacyretailersWholesalers