Costco Wholesale [COST] vs Walmart [WMT] Detailed Stock Comparison

Costco Wholesale Corporation

NASDAQ
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Walmart Inc.

NYSE
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Costco Wholesale Corporation wins in 6 metrics, Walmart Inc. wins in 14 metrics, with 0 ties. Walmart Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Costco Wholesale Corporation Walmart Inc. Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 52.36 45.35 Walmart Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 26.98 9.91 Walmart Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 60.26 63.19 Costco Wholesale Corporation
PEG Ratio 3.84 -2.46 Costco Wholesale Corporation
EV/EBITDA 33.01 23.67 Walmart Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 2.99% 3.07% Walmart Inc.
Operating Margin (TTM) 3.67% 4.57% Walmart Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 3.67% 4.57% Walmart Inc.
Return on Equity 29.65% 21.85% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Return on Assets (TTM) 8.72% 6.87% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $7.84B $12.66B Walmart Inc.
Dividend Yield 0.65% 1.53% Walmart Inc.
1-Year Return -0.79% 46.60% Walmart Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 1.56 1.38 Walmart Inc.
Enterprise Value $444.30B $1,045.84B Walmart Inc.
EV/Revenue Ratio 1.55 1.47 Walmart Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 12.76% N/A N/A
Revenue per Share (TTM) $645 $89 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $19.21 $2.73 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.98 0.66 Walmart Inc.
Short % of Float 1.42% 1.30% Walmart Inc.

Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Inc. Stock Performance Analysis

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COST
WMT

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Costco Wholesale Corporation-0.30%0.48%-6.63%-2.23%13.82%14.62%
Walmart Inc.0.63%-2.18%-1.25%10.55%24.61%10.96%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Costco Wholesale Corporation-0.79%87.60%157.92%530.16%1,133.64%1,727.63%
Walmart Inc.46.60%169.25%184.95%460.57%628.71%704.11%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Inc.

MetricCOSTWMT
Market Information
Market Cap i$450.25B$987.04B
Market Cap CategoryMega capMega cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i1,939,44722,557,933
90 Day Avg. Volume i1,715,14925,764,928
Last Close$979.45$125.12
52 Week Range$844.06 - $1,096.50$79.81 - $134.69
% from 52W High-10.67%-7.11%
All-Time High$1,096.50 (May 19, 2026)$134.69 (Feb 17, 2026)
% from All-Time High-10.67%-7.11%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.22%0.06%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.46%-0.19%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.03%0.03%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.04%0.05%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.30%0.22%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i60.2663.19
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$37.28$12.50
Cash per Share (MRQ)$25.16$1.35
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$15.01B$41.56B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$6.69B$7.77B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i0.65%1.53%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$6.36$1.92

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Inc.

MetricCOST (Apr 24, 2026)WMT (Mar 07, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i52.3645.35
Forward P/E i44.7537.61
PEG Ratio i3.84-2.46
Price to Sales (TTM) i1.561.38
Price to Book (MRQ) i26.989.91
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$450.25B$987.04B
Enterprise Value i$444.30B$1.05T
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i1.551.47
Enterprise to EBITDA i33.0123.67
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.980.66
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$37.28$12.50

Financial Statements Comparison: Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Inc.

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricCOST (2025)WMT (2025)
Revenue/Sales i275.24B680.99B
Cost of Goods Sold i239.89B511.75B
COGS % of Revenue i87.2%75.1%
Gross Profit i35.35B169.23B
Gross Margin i12.8%24.9%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i10.38B29.35B
Operating Margin i3.8%4.3%
EBITDA i13.31B42.01B
EBITDA Margin i4.8%6.2%
Pre-Tax Income i10.82B26.31B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i3.9%3.9%
Income Tax i2.72B6.15B
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.0%0.9%
Net Income (Profit) i8.10B20.16B
Profit Margin i2.9%3.0%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricCOST (2025)WMT (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i14.16B9.04B
Total Current Assets i38.38B79.46B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i13.9%11.7%
Total Current Liabilities i37.11B96.58B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i13.5%14.2%
Long-Term Debt i8.17B52.15B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i3.0%7.7%
Total Shareholders Equity i29.16B97.69B
Retained Earnings i22.65B98.31B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i8.2%14.4%
Property, Plant & Equipment i2.73B19.71B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricCOST (2025)WMT (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i13.45B34.75B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i4.9%5.1%
Capital Expenditures i-5.50B-23.35B
Free Cash Flow i7.84B12.66B
FCF Margin i2.8%1.9%
Debt Repayment i-1.11B-3.47B
Common Stock Repurchase i-903.00M-4.49B

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricCOSTWMT
Shares Short i6.30M103.33M
Short Ratio i3.782.35
Short % of Float i1.42%1.30%
Shares Outstanding i443.65M7.97B
Float Shares i440.92M4.37B
% Held by Insiders i0.17%45.06%
% Held by Institutions i72.54%38.83%
% Held by Public i27.29%16.11%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Inc.

MetricCOSTWMT
Last 12-Month Dividend i$6.36$1.92
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i0.65%1.53%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$9.94$1.17
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.30%0.28%
3-Year Total Dividends i$29.82$3.52
Ex-Dividend DateJan 30, 2026Dec 11, 2026