Investors betting on buying in bulk have been rewarded this year.

Shares of wholesale retailer Costco have jumped more than 7 percent this year, outperforming retail stocks and the broader market in that time; the S&P retail ETF (XRT) has risen more than 4 percent in 2018.

Some strategists say the stock can continue to rise when it reports earnings Thursday afternoon. Boris Schlossberg, managing director of foreign exchange strategy at BK Asset Management, told CNBC's "Trading Nation" that he's bullish on Costco ahead of its earnings report. Here are his reasons why.



• In the age of e-commerce and the titan of the industry, Amazon, Costco is proving that good old-fashioned brick and mortar can still compete.

• Though the company reported same-store sales last quarter that missed analysts' estimates, e-commerce sales were up double digits for the quarter and Costco was generally seen as holdings its own in a shifting retail environment.

• Costco could benefit from rising gas prices; one technical analysis showed increasing prices at the pump bode well for the company's share price, as consumers might shop more at wholesale retailers to cut transportation costs.

• The stock is not cheap, trading at nearly 30 times trailing earnings, per FactSet data. Still, it may be a name on which to sell puts into a dip, or buy on a pullback.

Bottom line: Ahead of its earnings on Thursday, Costco shares appear well-positioned.