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Costco Wholesale (COST) Competitors

Costco Wholesale logo
$980.38 -1.97 (-0.20%)
As of 03:35 PM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.
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COST vs. AAPL, AMZN, CASY, LULU, and ROST

Should you buy Costco Wholesale stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Costco Wholesale with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Costco Wholesale include Apple (AAPL), Amazon.com (AMZN), Casey's General Stores (CASY), lululemon athletica (LULU), and Ross Stores (ROST).

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Apple?

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

Costco Wholesale pays an annual dividend of $5.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Apple pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.4%. Costco Wholesale pays out 29.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Apple pays out 13.1% 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. Costco Wholesale has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years and Apple has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Costco Wholesale is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Apple has higher revenue and earnings than Costco Wholesale. Apple 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
Costco Wholesale$293.59B1.48$8.10B$19.8849.31
Apple$451.44B9.64$112.01B$8.2735.84

In the previous week, Apple had 223 more articles in the media than Costco Wholesale. MarketBeat recorded 324 mentions for Apple and 101 mentions for Costco Wholesale. Costco Wholesale's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Apple's score of 0.89 indicating that Costco Wholesale is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Costco Wholesale
74 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
6 Neutral mention(s)
10 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Apple
205 Very Positive mention(s)
40 Positive mention(s)
39 Neutral mention(s)
30 Negative mention(s)
3 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Apple has a net margin of 27.15% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. Apple's return on equity of 146.69% beat Costco Wholesale's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Costco Wholesale3.01% 28.04% 10.63%
Apple 27.15%146.69%34.02%

Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.88, meaning that its share price is 12% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Apple has a beta of 1.09, meaning that its share price is 9% more volatile than the broader market.

Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus target price of $1,060.41, indicating a potential upside of 8.16%. Apple has a consensus target price of $314.59, indicating a potential upside of 6.15%. Given Costco Wholesale's higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Costco Wholesale is more favorable than Apple.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.62
Apple
1 Sell rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
23 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.69

68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.7% of Apple shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Apple shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Apple beats Costco Wholesale on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Amazon.com?

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

Amazon.com has a net margin of 12.22% 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.com12.22% 19.92% 9.86%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

Amazon.com currently has a consensus price target of $312.78, suggesting a potential upside of 27.35%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus price target of $1,060.41, suggesting a potential upside of 8.16%. Given Amazon.com's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly 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)
3 Hold rating(s)
57 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.95
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.62

72.2% of Amazon.com shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.9% of Amazon.com 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 stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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$716.92B3.69$77.67B$8.3629.38
Costco Wholesale$293.59B1.48$8.10B$19.8849.31

In the previous week, Amazon.com had 213 more articles in the media than Costco Wholesale. MarketBeat recorded 314 mentions for Amazon.com and 101 mentions for Costco Wholesale. Costco Wholesale's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Amazon.com's score of 0.97 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
201 Very Positive mention(s)
43 Positive mention(s)
43 Neutral mention(s)
20 Negative mention(s)
5 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
74 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
6 Neutral mention(s)
10 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Amazon.com has a beta of 1.45, suggesting that its share price is 45% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its share price is 12% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Amazon.com beats Costco Wholesale on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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

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

68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 85.6% of Casey's General Stores shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Casey's General Stores shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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
Costco Wholesale$293.59B1.48$8.10B$19.8849.31
Casey's General Stores$17.56B1.82$714.45M$19.1645.09

Costco Wholesale currently has a consensus target price of $1,060.41, indicating a potential upside of 8.16%. Casey's General Stores has a consensus target price of $925.25, indicating a potential upside of 7.10%. Given Costco Wholesale's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Costco Wholesale is more favorable than Casey's General Stores.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.62
Casey's General Stores
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.61

Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.88, meaning that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Casey's General Stores has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the broader market.

Costco Wholesale pays an annual dividend of $5.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Casey's General Stores pays an annual dividend of $2.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Costco Wholesale pays out 29.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Casey's General Stores pays out 11.9% 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. Costco Wholesale has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years and Casey's General Stores has raised its dividend for 24 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 34 more articles in the media than Casey's General Stores. MarketBeat recorded 101 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 67 mentions for Casey's General Stores. Costco Wholesale's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat Casey's General Stores' score of 0.89 indicating that Costco Wholesale is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Costco Wholesale
74 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
6 Neutral mention(s)
10 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Casey's General Stores
30 Very Positive mention(s)
11 Positive mention(s)
20 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

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
Costco Wholesale3.01% 28.04% 10.63%
Casey's General Stores 4.07%18.73%8.29%

Summary

Costco Wholesale beats Casey's General Stores on 13 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 contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability, risk, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

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$11.10B1.24$1.58B$12.399.37
Costco Wholesale$293.59B1.48$8.10B$19.8849.31

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 65 more articles in the media than lululemon athletica. MarketBeat recorded 101 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 36 mentions for lululemon athletica. Costco Wholesale's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat lululemon athletica's score of 0.53 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
17 Very Positive mention(s)
7 Positive mention(s)
6 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
74 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
6 Neutral mention(s)
10 Negative mention(s)
2 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

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%

lululemon athletica currently has a consensus target price of $154.26, indicating a potential upside of 32.80%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus target price of $1,060.41, indicating a potential upside of 8.16%. Given lululemon athletica's higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe lululemon athletica is more favorable than Costco Wholesale.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
lululemon athletica
4 Sell rating(s)
27 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.97
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.62

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

lululemon athletica has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its stock price is 12% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Costco Wholesale beats lululemon athletica on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Costco Wholesale compare to Ross Stores?

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

Ross Stores currently has a consensus target price of $233.18, suggesting a potential downside of 1.35%. Costco Wholesale has a consensus target price of $1,060.41, suggesting a potential upside of 8.16%. Given Costco Wholesale's higher probable upside, analysts plainly 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)
4 Hold rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.86
Costco Wholesale
1 Sell rating(s)
11 Hold rating(s)
22 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.62

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$23.78B3.19$2.15B$7.1633.01
Costco Wholesale$293.59B1.48$8.10B$19.8849.31

In the previous week, Costco Wholesale had 71 more articles in the media than Ross Stores. MarketBeat recorded 101 mentions for Costco Wholesale and 30 mentions for Ross Stores. Ross Stores' average media sentiment score of 1.25 beat Costco Wholesale's score of 1.05 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
21 Very Positive mention(s)
3 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
1 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Costco Wholesale
74 Very Positive mention(s)
6 Positive mention(s)
6 Neutral mention(s)
10 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 24.9% 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 0.86, suggesting that its share price is 14% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Costco Wholesale has a beta of 0.88, suggesting that its share price is 12% less volatile than the broader market.

86.9% of Ross Stores shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 68.5% of Costco Wholesale shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.1% of Ross Stores 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 hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Ross Stores has a net margin of 9.74% compared to Costco Wholesale's net margin of 3.01%. Ross Stores' return on equity of 38.42% beat Costco Wholesale's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ross Stores9.74% 38.42% 15.18%
Costco Wholesale 3.01%28.04%10.63%

Summary

Ross Stores beats Costco Wholesale on 11 of the 20 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

Export
MetricCostco WholesaleRETAIL IndustryRetail SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$434.90B$103.65B$27.20B$12.36B
Dividend Yield0.60%1.45%176.83%5.66%
P/E Ratio49.3326.3020.3724.60
Price / Sales1.481.603.97171.61
Price / Cash41.7921.7715.2137.92
Price / Book14.919.296.236.77
Net Income$8.10B$2.87B$961.79M$337.32M
7 Day Performance0.58%4.96%3.37%2.06%
1 Month Performance-6.54%11.92%5.40%3.93%
1 Year Performance-0.99%36.94%4.61%32.29%

Costco Wholesale Competitors List

Export
CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
COST
Costco Wholesale
3.9339 of 5 stars		$980.38
-0.2%		$1,060.41
+8.2%		-0.8%$434.90B$293.59B49.33341,000
AAPL
Apple
4.5771 of 5 stars		$301.54
-1.9%		$312.82
+3.7%		+48.2%$4.43T$416.16B36.46166,000
AMZN
Amazon.com
4.9486 of 5 stars		$245.22
-0.3%		$312.52
+27.4%		+12.5%$2.64T$742.78B29.331,576,000
CASY
Casey's General Stores
3.8959 of 5 stars		$751.63
-1.3%		$761.36
+1.3%		+76.8%$27.78B$16.98B43.1549,272
LULU
lululemon athletica
4.654 of 5 stars		$117.55
+2.9%		$163.77
+39.3%		-50.3%$14.19B$11.20B9.4939,000

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This page (NASDAQ:COST) was last updated on 6/15/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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