Costco Wholesale Corporation (cost)

COST — Company Overview

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) trades on NMS as part of the Consumer Defensive peer group (Discount Stores).

COST — Business Description

COST represents a Discount Stores business in the Consumer Defensive segment. Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. It offers merchandise, including sundries, dry groceries, candies, coolers, freezers, deli, liquor, and tobacco; non-food merchandise comprising appliances, small electronics, health and beauty aids, hardware, lawn and garden, sporting goods, tires, toys and seasonal, automotive, stamps, tickets, apparel, furniture, domestics, housewares, special order kiosks, and jewelry; and fresh food, such as meat, produce, service deli, and bakery product…

Official website: https://www.costco.com.

COST — Investment Thesis

At a high level, COST offers exposure to Consumer Defensive with metrics outlined below from public market data.

• Revenue is expanding at roughly 21.5% year-over-year (public data).
• Trailing P/E of 47.39× implies elevated growth expectations at the current price.
• Forward P/E (41.91×) is below trailing P/E — earnings may be expected to improve.
• Dividend yield near 0.6% adds an income component to total return.
• Equity market capitalization is approximately $420.93B.

COST — Financial Health

Key financial health indicators for Costco Wholesale Corporation are derived exclusively from public data — no proprietary estimates.

Profit margin near 3.0% leaves a narrower cushion versus higher-margin peers. Positive free cash flow of $6.95B supports balance-sheet flexibility.

COST — Growth Outlook

Growth outlook for Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) depends on demand trends in Discount Stores and the company's ability to convert revenue into sustainable earnings.

• Revenue growth of 21.5% indicates strong top-line momentum.
• Earnings growth of 45.5% year-over-year supports improving profitability.
• Price is 13.4% below the 52-week high.
• Shares trade 12.5% above the 52-week low — limited rebound so far.

COST — Competitive Position

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is evaluated against peers on scale, margin structure, and capital efficiency within Consumer Defensive.

• Competes within Consumer Defensive, specifically in Discount Stores.
• Market capitalization of $420.93B places COST among mega-cap peers.
• Gross margin of 12.9% should be benchmarked against direct competitors.

COST — Summary

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is a mega-cap Consumer Defensive company focused on Discount Stores, listed on NMS. Last price $949.15 with market cap $420.93B. Trailing P/E 47.39×. Revenue grew 21.5% year-over-year per public data. Notable strengths include revenue growth of 21.5% year-over-year. Key watch items include elevated trailing p/e (47.39×) limits valuation margin of safety. Premium analytics for Costco Wholesale Corporation — including estimates and institutional data — are available in Terminal.