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

Walmart Inc.

NYSE
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Costco Wholesale Corporation

NASDAQ
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TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

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

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

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

Walmart Inc. vs Costco Wholesale Corporation Stock Performance Analysis

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WMT
COST

Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

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

Long-term Returns

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

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

MetricWMTCOST
Market Information
Market Cap i$987.04B$450.25B
Market Cap CategoryMega capMega cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i22,557,9331,939,447
90 Day Avg. Volume i25,764,9281,715,149
Last Close$125.12$979.45
52 Week Range$79.81 - $134.69$844.06 - $1,096.50
% from 52W High-7.11%-10.67%
All-Time High$134.69 (Feb 17, 2026)$1,096.50 (May 19, 2026)
% from All-Time High-7.11%-10.67%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.06%0.22%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.19%0.46%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.03%0.03%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.05%0.04%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.22%0.30%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i63.1960.26
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$12.50$37.28
Cash per Share (MRQ)$1.35$25.16
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$41.56B$15.01B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$7.77B$6.69B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.53%0.65%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.92$6.36

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

MetricWMT (Mar 07, 2026)COST (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i45.3552.36
Forward P/E i37.6144.75
PEG Ratio i-2.463.84
Price to Sales (TTM) i1.381.56
Price to Book (MRQ) i9.9126.98
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$987.04B$450.25B
Enterprise Value i$1.05T$444.30B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i1.471.55
Enterprise to EBITDA i23.6733.01
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.660.98
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$12.50$37.28

Financial Statements Comparison: Walmart 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

MetricWMT (2025)COST (2025)
Revenue/Sales i680.99B275.24B
Cost of Goods Sold i511.75B239.89B
COGS % of Revenue i75.1%87.2%
Gross Profit i169.23B35.35B
Gross Margin i24.9%12.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i29.35B10.38B
Operating Margin i4.3%3.8%
EBITDA i42.01B13.31B
EBITDA Margin i6.2%4.8%
Pre-Tax Income i26.31B10.82B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i3.9%3.9%
Income Tax i6.15B2.72B
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.9%1.0%
Net Income (Profit) i20.16B8.10B
Profit Margin i3.0%2.9%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricWMT (2025)COST (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i9.04B14.16B
Total Current Assets i79.46B38.38B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i11.7%13.9%
Total Current Liabilities i96.58B37.11B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i14.2%13.5%
Long-Term Debt i52.15B8.17B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i7.7%3.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i97.69B29.16B
Retained Earnings i98.31B22.65B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i14.4%8.2%
Property, Plant & Equipment i19.71B2.73B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricWMT (2025)COST (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i34.75B13.45B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i5.1%4.9%
Capital Expenditures i-23.35B-5.50B
Free Cash Flow i12.66B7.84B
FCF Margin i1.9%2.8%
Debt Repayment i-3.47B-1.11B
Common Stock Repurchase i-4.49B-903.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricWMTCOST
Shares Short i103.33M6.30M
Short Ratio i2.353.78
Short % of Float i1.30%1.42%
Shares Outstanding i7.97B443.65M
Float Shares i4.37B440.92M
% Held by Insiders i45.06%0.17%
% Held by Institutions i38.83%72.54%
% Held by Public i16.11%27.29%

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

MetricWMTCOST
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.92$6.36
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.53%0.65%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$1.17$9.94
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.28%0.30%
3-Year Total Dividends i$3.52$29.82
Ex-Dividend DateDec 11, 2026Jan 30, 2026