PriceSmart [PSMT] vs Costco Wholesale [COST] Detailed Stock Comparison

PriceSmart Inc.

NASDAQ
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Costco Wholesale Corporation

NASDAQ
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: PriceSmart Inc. wins in 13 metrics, Costco Wholesale Corporation wins in 8 metrics, with 0 ties. PriceSmart Inc. appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric PriceSmart Inc. Costco Wholesale Corporation Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 31.85 52.36 PriceSmart Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 3.66 26.98 PriceSmart Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 23.64 60.26 PriceSmart Inc.
PEG Ratio 2.72 3.84 PriceSmart Inc.
EV/EBITDA 14.13 33.01 PriceSmart Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) 2.82% 2.99% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Operating Margin (TTM) 5.07% 3.67% PriceSmart Inc.
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 5.07% 3.67% PriceSmart Inc.
Return on Equity 12.45% 29.65% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Return on Assets (TTM) 6.95% 8.72% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $103.17M $7.84B Costco Wholesale Corporation
Dividend Yield 1.70% 0.65% PriceSmart Inc.
1-Year Return 72.88% -0.79% PriceSmart Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.90 1.56 PriceSmart Inc.
Enterprise Value $4.88B $444.30B Costco Wholesale Corporation
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.88 1.55 PriceSmart Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 17.72% 12.76% PriceSmart Inc.
Revenue per Share (TTM) $183 $645 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $5.08 $19.21 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.75 0.98 PriceSmart Inc.
Short % of Float 9.40% 1.42% Costco Wholesale Corporation

PriceSmart Inc. vs Costco Wholesale Corporation Stock Performance Analysis

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PSMT
COST

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
PriceSmart Inc.-1.41%1.53%12.85%18.89%38.40%45.73%
Costco Wholesale Corporation-0.30%0.48%-6.63%-2.23%13.82%14.62%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
PriceSmart Inc.72.88%143.10%106.60%102.06%298.56%1,549.77%
Costco Wholesale Corporation-0.79%87.60%157.92%530.16%1,133.64%1,727.63%

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

MetricPSMTCOST
Market Information
Market Cap i$4.92B$450.25B
Market Cap CategoryMid capMega cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i279,8001,939,447
90 Day Avg. Volume i254,1201,715,149
Last Close$179.73$979.45
52 Week Range$99.98 - $183.19$844.06 - $1,096.50
% from 52W High-1.89%-10.67%
All-Time High$183.19 (Jun 12, 2026)$1,096.50 (May 19, 2026)
% from All-Time High-1.89%-10.67%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.10%0.22%
Quarterly Earnings Growth0.12%0.46%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.03%0.03%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.05%0.04%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.12%0.30%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i23.6460.26
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$44.24$37.28
Cash per Share (MRQ)$10.15$25.16
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$268.21M$15.01B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$68.92M$6.69B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.70%0.65%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$2.66$6.36

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

MetricPSMT (Apr 21, 2026)COST (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i31.8552.36
Forward P/E i22.9544.75
PEG Ratio i2.723.84
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.901.56
Price to Book (MRQ) i3.6626.98
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$4.92B$450.25B
Enterprise Value i$4.88B$444.30B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.881.55
Enterprise to EBITDA i14.1333.01
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.750.98
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$44.24$37.28

Financial Statements Comparison: PriceSmart Inc. vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricPSMT (2025)COST (2025)
Revenue/Sales i5.27B275.24B
Cost of Goods Sold i4.36B239.89B
COGS % of Revenue i82.6%87.2%
Gross Profit i914.37M35.35B
Gross Margin i17.4%12.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i236.10M10.38B
Operating Margin i4.5%3.8%
EBITDA i309.77M13.31B
EBITDA Margin i5.9%4.8%
Pre-Tax Income i206.50M10.82B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i3.9%3.9%
Income Tax i58.62M2.72B
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.1%1.0%
Net Income (Profit) i147.89M8.10B
Profit Margin i2.8%2.9%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricPSMT (2025)COST (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i241.02M14.16B
Total Current Assets i974.46M38.38B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i18.5%13.9%
Total Current Liabilities i726.27M37.11B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i13.8%13.5%
Long-Term Debt i270.17M8.17B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i5.1%3.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i1.25B29.16B
Retained Earnings i999.43M22.65B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i19.0%8.2%
Property, Plant & Equipment i113.48M2.73B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricPSMT (2025)COST (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i258.90M13.45B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i4.9%4.9%
Capital Expenditures i-155.73M-5.50B
Free Cash Flow i103.17M7.84B
FCF Margin i2.0%2.8%
Debt Repayment i-39.60M-1.11B
Common Stock Repurchase i-6.71M-903.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricPSMTCOST
Shares Short i1.75M6.30M
Short Ratio i7.743.78
Short % of Float i9.40%1.42%
Shares Outstanding i30.90M443.65M
Float Shares i27.76M440.92M
% Held by Insiders i7.60%0.17%
% Held by Institutions i98.32%72.54%
% Held by Public i-5.92%27.29%

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

MetricPSMTCOST
Last 12-Month Dividend i$2.66$6.36
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.70%0.65%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$1.91$9.94
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.67%0.30%
3-Year Total Dividends i$5.74$29.82
Ex-Dividend DateAug 17, 2026Jan 30, 2026