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NationsBenefits has integrated its Basket Adjudication Service (BAS) with Costco Wholesale, allowing health plan members to redeem benefits at over 600 U.S. Costco locations.
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Seven sectors are higher and four are lower in Tuesday's regular session, with growth and cyclical sectors split across the top three positions. The leaders are separated rather than clustered, with Technology clearly ahead of the next group.
Costco will pay a dividend of $1.47 per share on Nov. 13 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 30. An investor would need approximately 170 shares (worth ~$173,000) to generate $1,000 in annual dividends. While Costco's dividend yield is modest at 0.5%, the stock offers multiple return drivers including stock price appreciation (up 108% over five years), special dividends, and quarterly dividends, making it a worthwhile long-term investment despite its high valuation.
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) and iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) both offer defensive equity exposure in the consumer staples sector. VDC stands out with a significantly lower 0.09% expense ratio versus IYK's 0.37%, a larger portfolio of 103 holdings, and slightly higher five-year returns ($1,453 vs $1,422 on $1,000 invested). IYK offers a higher 2.4% dividend yield but with more concentrated holdings of 53 stocks. The article recommends VDC as the more compelling option for long-term investors seeking safer portfolio holdings.