Target [TGT] vs Costco Wholesale [COST] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Target Corporation wins in 11 metrics, Costco Wholesale Corporation wins in 10 metrics, with 0 ties. Target Corporation appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Target Corporation Costco Wholesale Corporation Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 16.27 52.36 Target Corporation
Price-to-Book Ratio 3.70 26.98 Target Corporation
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 125.52 60.26 Costco Wholesale Corporation
PEG Ratio -3.58 3.84 Costco Wholesale Corporation
EV/EBITDA 9.25 33.01 Target Corporation
Profit Margin (TTM) 3.54% 2.99% Target Corporation
Operating Margin (TTM) 4.91% 3.67% Target Corporation
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 4.91% 3.67% Target Corporation
Return on Equity 24.03% 29.65% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Return on Assets (TTM) 5.26% 8.72% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $2.84B $7.84B Costco Wholesale Corporation
Dividend Yield 4.03% 0.65% Target Corporation
1-Year Return 35.17% -8.06% Target Corporation
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.57 1.56 Target Corporation
Enterprise Value $74.62B $444.30B Costco Wholesale Corporation
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.71 1.55 Target Corporation
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 26.63% 12.76% Target Corporation
Revenue per Share (TTM) $231 $645 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $8.12 $19.21 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Beta (Stock Volatility) 1.03 0.98 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Short % of Float 4.16% 1.42% Costco Wholesale Corporation

Target Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Target Corporation-0.43%-1.79%-3.58%8.85%36.16%22.55%
Costco Wholesale Corporation0.81%-4.85%-5.78%-4.84%3.50%11.68%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Target Corporation35.17%-4.62%-45.07%85.10%168.08%158.32%
Costco Wholesale Corporation-8.06%86.57%146.78%530.36%1,129.05%1,689.19%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Target Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

MetricTGTCOST
Market Information
Market Cap i$58.95B$450.25B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capMega cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i4,934,5171,939,447
90 Day Avg. Volume i5,474,7861,715,149
Last Close$123.18$961.96
52 Week Range$83.44 - $133.10$844.06 - $1,096.50
% from 52W High-7.45%-12.27%
All-Time High$268.98 (Nov 15, 2021)$1,096.50 (May 19, 2026)
% from All-Time High-54.20%-12.27%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth-0.02%0.22%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.05%0.46%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.04%0.03%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.05%0.04%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.24%0.30%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i125.5260.26
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$35.70$37.28
Cash per Share (MRQ)$12.12$25.16
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$6.56B$15.01B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$2.59B$6.69B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i4.03%0.65%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$4.54$6.36

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Target Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

MetricTGT (Apr 24, 2026)COST (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i16.2752.36
Forward P/E i15.5144.75
PEG Ratio i-3.583.84
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.571.56
Price to Book (MRQ) i3.7026.98
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$58.95B$450.25B
Enterprise Value i$74.62B$444.30B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.711.55
Enterprise to EBITDA i9.2533.01
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i1.030.98
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$35.70$37.28

Financial Statements Comparison: Target Corporation 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

MetricTGT (2026)COST (2025)
Revenue/Sales i104.78B275.24B
Cost of Goods Sold i75.51B239.89B
COGS % of Revenue i72.1%87.2%
Gross Profit i29.27B35.35B
Gross Margin i27.9%12.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i5.12B10.38B
Operating Margin i4.9%3.8%
EBITDA i8.35B13.31B
EBITDA Margin i8.0%4.8%
Pre-Tax Income i4.77B10.82B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i4.5%3.9%
Income Tax i1.06B2.72B
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.0%1.0%
Net Income (Profit) i3.71B8.10B
Profit Margin i3.5%2.9%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricTGT (2026)COST (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i5.49B14.16B
Total Current Assets i20.01B38.38B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i19.1%13.9%
Total Current Liabilities i21.23B37.11B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i20.3%13.5%
Long-Term Debt i17.79B8.17B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i17.0%3.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i16.17B29.16B
Retained Earnings i9.30B22.65B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i8.9%8.2%
Property, Plant & Equipment i3.70B2.73B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricTGT (2026)COST (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i6.41B13.45B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i6.1%4.9%
Capital Expenditures iN/A-5.50B
Free Cash Flow i2.84B7.84B
FCF Margin i2.7%2.8%
Debt Repayment i-1.64B-1.11B
Common Stock Repurchase i-408.00M-903.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricTGTCOST
Shares Short i18.81M6.30M
Short Ratio i2.813.78
Short % of Float i4.16%1.42%
Shares Outstanding i452.84M443.65M
Float Shares i451.35M440.92M
% Held by Insiders i0.31%0.17%
% Held by Institutions i86.57%72.54%
% Held by Public i13.12%27.29%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Target Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

MetricTGTCOST
Last 12-Month Dividend i$4.54$6.36
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i4.03%0.65%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$4.82$9.94
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.88%0.30%
3-Year Total Dividends i$14.46$29.82
Ex-Dividend DateFeb 11, 2026Jan 30, 2026