Price movement over the last 24 hours
A O Smith Corp vs Costco Wholesale Corporation — how do they compare? A O Smith Corp trades at $60.44 (market cap $8.33B), while Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $920.5 (market cap $406.34B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 48.8× A O Smith Corp's market cap, and A O Smith Corp pays the higher dividend (2.35%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| AOS | COST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.33B | $406.34B |
Sector | Industrials | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $80.47 | $1.09K |
52-Week Low | $55.78 | $849.63 |
Enterprise Value | $8.78B | $394.48B |
Dividend Yield | 2.35% | 0.64% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
A.O. Smith (AOS) trades at $60.44, up 2.41% today, with a bearish technical signal despite recent leadership changes. The company reported mixed Q1 2026 earnings, missing EPS estimates at $0.85 versus $0.94 expected, while maintaining solid profitability with a 13.84% net margin. Cash flow trends show improving operations, and the stock offers a dividend with a recent $0.36 payout announced.
The outlook is cautious due to earnings volatility and bearish technicals, but valuation appears reasonable with a P/E of 16.12. Risks include China market weakness and competitive pressures, while analyst consensus leans hold with a $68 price target suggesting modest upside potential from current levels.
Costco (COST) trades at $916.25, up 0.36% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company reported strong revenue growth to $275.24 billion in 2025 and beat earnings expectations in recent quarters, though it missed in Q1 2026. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with a $1,120 price target, supported by robust membership fee income and expanding margins.
The outlook remains positive due to consistent revenue growth and high analyst confidence, but risks include elevated valuation multiples and competitive pressures. The stock's current price is below the consensus target, suggesting potential upside if fundamental performance continues.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
A.O. Smith Corporation manufactures and markets comprehensive lines of residential and commercial gas, gas tankless, and electric water heaters. Supplementary products include water heating equipment, condensing and noncondensing boilers, and water system tanks. The company's two operating segments are by geographic region: North America (majority of total revenue) and the Rest of the World. A material portion of sales in North America derive from replacing existing products, and the company utilizes a wholesale distribution channel and multiple selling locations. The Rest of the World segment sells primarily to Asian countries and operates sales offices to expand distribution and market its product portfolio.
Read more on AOS →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 →