Skip to content
Company Analysis

Costco Wholesale Corporation COST

A comprehensive view of key metrics, scores, and financial health for Costco Wholesale Corporation

Overview of Costco Wholesale Corporation

COST NMS
Consumer Defensive Discount Stores Mega Cap
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST), is a Mega Cap company, in the Discount Stores industry, last closed at $994.00, about 38.2% overvalued vs fair value, -0.1% 1Y return, placing in the top 25% of its sector.
Metrics Rev Growth 8.2% Gross Margin 12.8% Div Yield 0.49%
$994.00
-0.40%
As of April 28, 2026
Previous close • Vol 90d: 19.1%
52-Week Range
Market Cap
$440.99B
Enterprise Value
$432.88B
Overall Score
View breakdown
Overall
Growth
Good
Profitability
Fair
Health
Fair
Efficiency
Fair
Valuation
Good
Growth
Good
Profitability
Fair
Health
Fair
Efficiency
Fair
Valuation
Good
Completeness: 82%
Confidence: 88%
Updated: Mar 8
Top Beats

Quick Facts

Website https://www.costco.com
HQ Issaquah, WA
Employees 341,000
Fiscal year Aug 31

Next Events

Earnings May 28 Call: May 28

Fair Value Snapshot

Bear Base Bull
$501
$614
$725
Current: $994.00 -38% vs base

Engine Room Money Flow™

Mega Cap

Corporate Free Cash Flow - Where revenue goes and how value is created

Flow Steps
Revenue
254.45B
8.2%%
Gross Profit
32.09B
10.1%%
Operating Income
9.29B
11.8%%
Net Income
7.37B
533%%
Money Flow Bridge
Flow Direction: Money moves from left to right
Components: Breakdown shows composition of each stage
Industry-Specific: Corporate Free Cash Flow

Quality & Reliability Indicators

Cash Conversion Ratio
81.8%
Good

FCF / Net Income - measures how well earnings convert to cash

Locked Metric
-
Premium
Locked Metric
-
Premium
Locked Metric
-
Premium
Locked Metric
-
Premium

Owner's Pocket - Capital Allocation

Total Returned to Shareholders

Combined dividends, buybacks, and debt reduction

$3.8B
57.2% of FCF

Where It Leaks

Cash Flow Health some concerns
Moderate efficiency issues detected. Review active leaks below for improvement areas.
2
Active Leaks
1/2
Improving
0
High Impact
0
Critical
Locked Leak
Upgrade to view details
Premium
Moat Analysis Corporate Default

Competitive Advantage Assessment

Evaluating Costco Wholesale Corporation's durable competitive advantages across 6 defense dimensions

Overall Moat Strength
60
/100
Moderate
Scores based on quantitative metrics and qualitative factors

Upgrade to unlock interactive defense details

Premium access

Unlock full defense analysis

Get key signals, strengths, and risks for every moat dimension.

Upgrade to Premium Unlock all moat defenses and evidence.

Pricing Power

Moderate
61
Premium
Unlock full defense details

See key signals plus strengths and risks for this moat dimension.

Upgrade for full defense analysis Premium-only evidence and insights.
For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.

Trade-Off Ledger™

Where management spends the performance budget - Growth, Profitability, or Safety

Generic Industrial / Default vs Industry Peers 100% Coverage
Trade-Off Triangle Visualization A ternary plot showing COST's balance between Growth (45.3%), Profitability (27.9%), and Safety (26.7%). Growth 45% Safety 27% Profitability 28%

Click axes to expand details. Marker shows current allocation.

3-Year Trend Analysis Locked
Upgrade to unlock the full 3-year trend analysis and deltas.

Growth

76th percentile vs peers
76
Key Signals
Rev Growth YoY 8.2% 77p Revenue CAGR 3Y 9.1% 77p EPS Growth YoY 17.0% 66p EPS CAGR 3Y 13.7% 85p TSR 74.0% 75p
Strengths
  • EPS CAGR 3Y in top 20% of peers (13.7%, 85th percentile)
  • Interest Coverage Ratio in top 20% of peers (71.25, 88th percentile)
  • Superior capital returns - 3 return metrics above peer median
  • Growth above peer median with strong metric coverage (100%)
  • Strong liquidity position vs peers
Risks

No significant risks identified for this axis.

Profitability

47th percentile vs peers
47
Key Signals
Strengths
Risks
Premium
Unlock full Profitability drilldowns

See the signal-level drivers and insights behind this axis. Upgrade to reveal the full Trade-Off Ledger.

Upgrade Now

Safety

45th percentile vs peers
45
Key Signals
Strengths
Safety drilldowns are available to premium members.

Two Futures

Scenario-based fair value ranges for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

Loading valuation model...
Unable to Compute Fair Value

This company cannot be valued using standard models.

What this means: The Scenario Theatre requires financial data (revenue, cash flow, shares outstanding) to calculate fair value estimates. This data may be unavailable for:

  • Recently listed companies (IPOs, SPACs)
  • Shell companies or holding companies
  • Companies that haven't filed recent financials
  • Foreign companies with limited data coverage
X.X%
X%XX%
X.X%
-XX%XX%
XX.X%
-XX%XX%
Adjust the sliders above to explore different valuation scenarios.
Unlock Premium
Reveal the full Scenario Theatre
See live sliders, narratives, and full Bear/Base/Bull outcomes.
Upgrade Now
Bear
-
- - -
- upside
-
Base
$613.85
- - -
-38.2% vs current
Snapshot base estimate
Bull
-
- - -
- upside
-
Fair Value Range Current: $-
$- $- $-
Actions & Info