Price movement over the last 24 hours
American Electric Power Company Inc vs Costco Wholesale Corporation — how do they compare? American Electric Power Company Inc trades at $136.38 (market cap $74.83B), while Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $955.45 (market cap $420.20B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 5.6× American Electric Power Company Inc's market cap, and American Electric Power Company Inc pays the higher dividend (2.76%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AEP | COST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $74.83B | $420.20B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $138.69 | $1.09K |
52-Week Low | $103.96 | $849.63 |
Enterprise Value | $126.09B | $408.34B |
Dividend Yield | 2.76% | 0.62% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AEP trades at $137.53, down 0.71% on the day, with strong analyst support (64% buy ratings) and a $142.82 consensus price target. The stock shows bullish technical momentum with recent earnings beats and robust revenue growth, climbing from $19.7B in 2024 to $21.9B in 2025. AEP benefits from AI-driven electricity demand and a $78B capital plan for grid expansion.
Outlook remains positive given AEP's strategic positioning in energy infrastructure, though risks include high capital expenditures and debt levels. The current valuation at 20.12x P/E appears reasonable for a utility with stable earnings growth and dividend payments, supporting a constructive view for long-term investors.
Costco (COST) trades at $953.55, up 0.35% with a bearish technical signal despite strong fundamentals. The company reported solid March sales growth of 11.3% year-over-year and maintains consistent revenue and earnings growth. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with 65.5% buy ratings and a $1,110 price target, though valuation metrics appear elevated with a P/E of 47.7.
The stock faces near-term technical pressure but benefits from strong membership fee growth and expanding profitability. Key risks include premium valuation compression and competitive pressures, while catalysts include sustained membership renewal strength and international expansion opportunities.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
American Electric Power is one of the largest regulated utilities in the United States, providing electricity generation, transmission, and distribution to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. About 43% of AEP's of capacity is coal, with the remainder from a mix of natural gas (27%), renewable energy and hydro (19%), nuclear (7%), and demand response (4%). Vertically integrated utilities, transmission and distribution, and generation and marketing support earnings.
Read more on AEP →The leading warehouse club, Costco has 815 stores worldwide (at the end of fiscal 2021), with most sales derived in the United States (72%) and Canada (14%). It sells memberships that allow customers to shop in its warehouses, which feature low prices on a limited product assortment. Costco mainly caters to individual shoppers, but roughly 20% of paid members carry business memberships. Food and sundries accounted for 40% of fiscal 2021 sales, with non-food merchandise 29%, warehouse ancillary and other businesses (such as fuel and pharmacy) nearly 17%, and fresh food 14%. Costco's warehouses average around 146,000 square feet
Read more on COST →