Yes this is true and it may play into contiued momentum given the dynamics of the shares. Whole foods is an interesting company: I have watched them develop over the years in Southern California and elsewhere. However they do have competitors - some of which are better operations in my opinion and , if you go by the floor traffic, are more popular.
that may be true in California remember they have been there since before 99, on the East Coast the concept is just being discovered by the masses.
I've owned WFMI shares for 4 years now and originally bought them because of demographic factors. The Wall Street Journal had an excellent article sometime in 1993 (if I remember well) about the financial situation of the baby boomer generation and what it meant for stocks in the future. The article was right. After paying off their debt, they invested in stocks and the closest one would be to retirement the more likely oneâs savings would be invested conservatively in DJIA or S&P500 type of stocks (as opposed to NASDAQ), which trade at much higher prices now than 12 years ago. The prosperity of many baby boomers can also be evaluated in terms of time available for leisure. Buying and preparing quality food is more than a pleasure, it is also a necessity for an aging body with lower metabolism or for anyone conscious about his health. Also, price wise, I find Whole Foods competitive compared to Harris Teeter for example.
I had a Whole Foods open up across the street from me a few weeks ago. I go there to get my morning coffee (bypassing my old regular SBUX), I have lunch there and pick up dinner there on the way home from the gym. I am fully expecting to meet my second wife there, get married there, and conceive a child on the premises.
Your forgot normal gyration. There is an interesting analysis of Whole Foods in this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195189779/002-4556591-0048030?_encoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155 The author shows that their pricing on the same items that are carried by their competitors is not really any higher. The margins are made on the high-end exclusive stuff that their competitors do not carry. The book is a pretty good read too, especially if you liked "Freakonomics"
Not sure really. Took notice once it split and thought it might move back to pre split of 150. Looks like a good Peter Lynch type of stock.