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Costco Wholesale (COST) Competitors

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$916.70 -8.71 (-0.94%)
As of 01:52 PM Eastern
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COST vs. AMZN, CASY, LULU, ROST, and ULTA

Should you buy Costco Wholesale stock or one of its competitors? Costco Wholesale's main competitors and comparable companies include Amazon.com (AMZN), Casey's General Stores (CASY), lululemon athletica (LULU), Ross Stores (ROST), and Ulta Beauty (ULTA). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Amazon.com?

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability, media sentiment, valuation, risk and earnings.

In the previous week, Amazon.com had 90 more articles in the media than Costco Wholesale. MarketBeat recorded 259 mentions for Amazon.com and 169 mentions for Costco Wholesale. Costco Wholesale's average media sentiment score of 1.28 beat Amazon.com's score of 0.78 indicating that Costco Wholesale is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Amazon.com
139 Very Positive mention(s)
42 Positive mention(s)
31 Neutral mention(s)
34 Negative mention(s)
11 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
139 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Amazon.com currently has a consensus target price of $323.26, suggesting a potential upside of 25.76%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus target price of $1,056.90, suggesting a potential upside of 15.29%. Given Amazon.com's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Amazon.com is more favorable than Costco Wholesale.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Amazon.com
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
56 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.98
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
21 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.59

72.2% of Amazon.com shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by institutional investors. 8.9% of Amazon.com shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Amazon.com has a beta of 1.44, meaning that its stock price is 44% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.86, meaning that its stock price is 14% less volatile than the broader market.

Amazon.com has a net margin of 17.44% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. Costco Wholesale's return on equity of 28.04% beat Amazon.com's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Amazon.com17.44% 18.00% 8.97%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

Amazon.com has higher revenue and earnings than Costco Wholesale. Amazon.com is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Costco Wholesale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Amazon.com$716.92B3.87$77.67B$12.4320.68
Costco Wholesale$275.24B1.48$8.10B$19.8846.11

Summary

Amazon.com beats Costco Wholesale on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Casey's General Stores?

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Casey's General Stores pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Costco Wholesale pays an annual dividend of $5.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Casey's General Stores pays out 13.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Costco Wholesale pays out 29.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Casey's General Stores has raised its dividend for 24 consecutive years and Costco Wholesale has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years.

Casey's General Stores has a beta of 0.59, suggesting that its share price is 41% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the broader market.

85.6% of Casey's General Stores shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Casey's General Stores shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Casey's General Stores has a net margin of 4.07% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. Costco Wholesale's return on equity of 28.04% beat Casey's General Stores' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Casey's General Stores4.07% 18.73% 8.29%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

Costco Wholesale has higher revenue and earnings than Casey's General Stores. Casey's General Stores is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Costco Wholesale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Casey's General Stores$17.56B1.58$714.45M$19.1639.25
Costco Wholesale$275.24B1.48$8.10B$19.8846.11

Casey's General Stores presently has a consensus target price of $928.53, indicating a potential upside of 23.48%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus target price of $1,056.90, indicating a potential upside of 15.29%. Given Casey's General Stores' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Casey's General Stores is more favorable than Costco Wholesale.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Casey's General Stores
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.70
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
21 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.59

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 143 more articles in the media than Casey's General Stores. MarketBeat recorded 169 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 26 mentions for Casey's General Stores. Casey's General Stores' average media sentiment score of 1.28 beat Costco Wholesale's score of 1.28 indicating that Casey's General Stores is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Casey's General Stores
15 Very Positive mention(s)
3 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
139 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Summary

Costco Wholesale beats Casey's General Stores on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to lululemon athletica?

lululemon athletica (NASDAQ:LULU) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability and media sentiment.

lululemon athletica currently has a consensus target price of $138.62, indicating a potential upside of 37.17%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus target price of $1,056.90, indicating a potential upside of 15.29%. Given lululemon athletica's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe lululemon athletica is more favorable than Costco Wholesale.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
lululemon athletica
5 Sell rating(s)
25 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.94
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
21 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.59

lululemon athletica has a net margin of 13.03% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. lululemon athletica's return on equity of 31.26% beat Costco Wholesale's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
lululemon athletica13.03% 31.26% 17.98%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

85.2% of lululemon athletica shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of lululemon athletica shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 56 more articles in the media than lululemon athletica. MarketBeat recorded 169 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 113 mentions for lululemon athletica. Costco Wholesale's average media sentiment score of 1.28 beat lululemon athletica's score of 0.85 indicating that Costco Wholesale is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
lululemon athletica
22 Very Positive mention(s)
15 Positive mention(s)
21 Neutral mention(s)
29 Negative mention(s)
8 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
139 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Costco Wholesale has higher revenue and earnings than lululemon athletica. lululemon athletica is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Costco Wholesale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
lululemon athletica$11.10B1.08$1.58B$12.398.16
Costco Wholesale$275.24B1.48$8.10B$19.8846.11

lululemon athletica has a beta of 0.87, meaning that its share price is 13% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.86, meaning that its share price is 14% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Costco Wholesale beats lululemon athletica on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Ross Stores?

Ross Stores (NASDAQ:ROST) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) are related large-cap companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, risk, media sentiment, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Costco Wholesale has higher revenue and earnings than Ross Stores. Ross Stores is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Costco Wholesale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ross Stores$22.75B3.24$2.15B$8.2627.97
Costco Wholesale$275.24B1.48$8.10B$19.8846.11

86.9% of Ross Stores shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by institutional investors. 2.1% of Ross Stores shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Ross Stores has a net margin of 10.85% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. Ross Stores' return on equity of 39.29% beat Costco Wholesale's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ross Stores10.85% 39.29% 15.79%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 139 more articles in the media than Ross Stores. MarketBeat recorded 169 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 30 mentions for Ross Stores. Ross Stores' average media sentiment score of 1.50 beat Costco Wholesale's score of 1.28 indicating that Ross Stores is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ross Stores
19 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
139 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Ross Stores pays an annual dividend of $1.78 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Costco Wholesale pays an annual dividend of $5.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Ross Stores pays out 21.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Costco Wholesale pays out 29.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Ross Stores has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years and Costco Wholesale has increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years. Ross Stores is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Ross Stores has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the broader market.

Ross Stores presently has a consensus target price of $263.76, suggesting a potential upside of 14.16%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus target price of $1,056.90, suggesting a potential upside of 15.29%. Given Costco Wholesale's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Costco Wholesale is more favorable than Ross Stores.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ross Stores
0 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
21 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.59

Summary

Ross Stores beats Costco Wholesale on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Ulta Beauty?

Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) and Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability and valuation.

Costco Wholesale has higher revenue and earnings than Ulta Beauty. Ulta Beauty is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Costco Wholesale, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ulta Beauty$12.39B1.95$1.15B$27.4420.63
Costco Wholesale$275.24B1.48$8.10B$19.8846.11

Ulta Beauty currently has a consensus price target of $626.59, indicating a potential upside of 10.69%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus price target of $1,056.90, indicating a potential upside of 15.29%. Given Costco Wholesale's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Costco Wholesale is more favorable than Ulta Beauty.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ulta Beauty
1 Sell rating(s)
6 Hold rating(s)
19 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.74
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
21 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.59

90.4% of Ulta Beauty shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.2% of Ulta Beauty shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Ulta Beauty has a beta of 0.85, meaning that its stock price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.86, meaning that its stock price is 14% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 119 more articles in the media than Ulta Beauty. MarketBeat recorded 169 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 50 mentions for Ulta Beauty. Ulta Beauty's average media sentiment score of 1.45 beat Costco Wholesale's score of 1.28 indicating that Ulta Beauty is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ulta Beauty
44 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
139 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
9 Neutral mention(s)
6 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Ulta Beauty has a net margin of 9.34% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. Ulta Beauty's return on equity of 45.40% beat Costco Wholesale's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ulta Beauty9.34% 45.40% 17.37%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

Summary

Ulta Beauty beats Costco Wholesale on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding COST and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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COST vs. The Competition

MetricCostco WholesaleConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail IndustryConsumer Staples SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$406.57B$26.87B$15.85B$12.89B
Dividend Yield0.63%3.50%3.20%8.57%
P/E Ratio46.1115.9013.5225.41
Price / Sales1.488.10262,280.1198.79
Price / Cash39.5042.6357.2652.27
Price / Book13.943.904.596.18
Net Income$8.10B$884.06M$836.00M$349.63M
7 Day Performance-3.04%-0.34%-0.73%-0.02%
1 Month Performance-3.29%-1.98%-0.34%0.85%
1 Year Performance-4.10%-4.96%12.21%15.50%

Costco Wholesale Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
COST
Costco Wholesale
4.3759 of 5 stars
$916.70
-0.9%
$1,056.90
+15.3%
-2.6%$406.57B$275.24B46.11341,000
AMZN
Amazon.com
4.8696 of 5 stars
$262.07
+1.3%
$322.39
+23.0%
+14.6%$2.83T$775.68B21.081,576,000
CASY
Casey's General Stores
4.8385 of 5 stars
$854.21
+2.2%
$944.20
+10.5%
+51.8%$31.61B$17.56B44.5849,848
LULU
lululemon athletica
4.0869 of 5 stars
$122.78
+1.4%
$148.54
+21.0%
-38.7%$14.57B$11.20B9.9139,000
ROST
Ross Stores
4.5514 of 5 stars
$241.52
+1.0%
$263.76
+9.2%
+53.7%$77.47B$22.75B29.24111,000

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This page (NASDAQ:COST) was last updated on 9/4/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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