Where Does Costco Wholesale Stock Rank Among Competitors?
Costco‘s stock saw moderate 5% returns this past year, lagging WMT and KR. How does it stack up against peers like Amazon and Home Depot as of 1/23/2026 amidst evolving retail dynamics? A closer look reveals robust revenue growth (8.34%) and strong FCF generation (3.21%), yet moderate operating margins (3.8%) and a high PE (52.58), potentially limiting upside compared to more profitable or faster-growing rivals.
- COST’s 3.8% operating margin, trailing HD’s 13.0%, reflects its low-markup strategy, driving volume and relying on membership fees for profit.
- COST’s 8.3% LTM revenue growth shows membership model resilience vs. traditional retail, but lags AMZN’s e-commerce and diversified services.
- COST’s 4.9% gain with a 52.6 PE shows investor confidence in its model, though peer outperformance suggests potential premium valuation concerns.
Here’s how Costco Wholesale stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| COST | WMT | AMZN | TGT | HD | KR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 436.5 | 938.8 | 2,543.9 | 49.0 | 381.1 | 42.1 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 280.4 | 703.1 | 670.0 | 105.2 | 166.2 | 147.2 |
| PE Ratio | 52.6 | 41.0 | 36.0 | 13.0 | 26.1 | 53.3 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | 8.3% | 4.3% | 10.9% | -2.2% | 7.5% | -1.8% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 3.8% | 4.1% | 11.4% | 4.9% | 13.0% | 1.1% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 3.2% | 2.2% | 2.0% | 2.9% | 8.4% | 1.5% |
| 12M Market Return | 4.9% | 26.7% | 1.6% | -17.8% | -5.1% | 11.9% |
For more details on Costco Wholesale, read Buy or Sell COST Stock. Below we compare COST’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | 8.3% | 8.2% | 5.0% | 6.8% | |
| WMT | 4.3% | 5.1% | 6.0% | 6.7% | |
| AMZN | 10.9% | – | 11.0% | 11.8% | 9.4% |
| TGT | -2.2% | -0.8% | -1.6% | 2.9% | |
| HD | 7.5% | 4.5% | -3.0% | 4.1% | |
| KR | -1.8% | -1.9% | 1.2% | 7.5% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.3% | |
| WMT | 4.1% | 4.3% | 4.2% | 3.3% | |
| AMZN | 11.4% | – | 10.8% | 6.4% | 2.4% |
| TGT | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 3.5% | |
| HD | 13.0% | 13.5% | 14.2% | 15.3% | |
| KR | 1.1% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 2.8% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | 52.6 | 47.3 | 55.2 | 46.6 | |
| WMT | 41.0 | 46.1 | 47.0 | 36.8 | |
| AMZN | 36.0 | – | 40.8 | 74.3 | -568.7 |
| TGT | 13.0 | 11.0 | 15.1 | 23.7 | |
| HD | 26.1 | 23.0 | 25.7 | 20.7 | |
| KR | 53.3 | 16.8 | 20.3 | 14.6 |
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