Price movement over the last 24 hours
AES Corp vs Costco Wholesale Corporation — how do they compare? AES Corp trades at $14.65 (market cap $10.43B), while Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $953.91 (market cap $420.20B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 40.3× AES Corp's market cap, and AES Corp pays the higher dividend (4.81%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AES | COST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $10.43B | $420.20B |
Sector | Utilities | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $17.28 | $1.09K |
52-Week Low | $11.07 | $849.63 |
Enterprise Value | $39.77B | $408.34B |
Dividend Yield | 4.81% | 0.62% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
AES trades at $14.62, up 0.27% on the day, with strong fundamentals including a P/E of 7.59 and net income margin of 10.82%. Recent quarters show consistent earnings beats, while technical indicators signal bearish momentum. The company's pending $33.4 billion acquisition by a BlackRock/EQT consortium, approved by stockholders on June 26, 2026, caps near-term upside at $15 per share but provides a stable exit pathway.
The investment case hinges on the acquisition closing, offering a 2.6% gain to the $15 buyout price plus dividend yield. Risks include deal completion uncertainty and shareholder litigation. With no sell-side analysts recommending sell, the stock presents a low-risk arbitrage opportunity with defined upside and limited downside if the transaction proceeds as planned.
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
AES is a global power company operating across 14 countries and 4 continents. Its current generation portfolio as of year-end 2021 consists of over 31 gigawatts of generation, with the generation mix composed of renewables (43%), gas (32%), coal (23%), and oil (2%). The company has 3.5 gigawatts of generation under construction. AES has majority ownership and operates six electric utilities distributing power to 2.6 million customers.
Read more on AES →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 →