Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $918.13 (market cap $408.78B), while Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp trades at $43.03 (market cap $20.34B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 20.1× Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp's market cap, and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp pays the higher dividend (3.07%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | CTSH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $20.34B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Technology |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $86.70 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $38.73 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $19.92B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | 3.07% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $921.73, down 0.51% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but strong fundamental growth. Revenue reached $275.24B in 2025 with net income of $8.10B, and March 2026 sales grew 11.3% year-over-year. The stock carries premium valuations (P/E 46.37, P/S 1.4) while maintaining steady margin expansion. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with a $1,120 price target, though recent earnings miss in Q1 2026 highlights execution risks amid high expectations.
Outlook: Costco's membership fee increase and warehouse expansion support long-term growth, but elevated valuation requires flawless execution. Risks include competitive pressures and macroeconomic sensitivity. Institutional accumulation continues, with 65% analyst buy ratings signaling confidence in the company's resilient business model and cash flow generation.
Cognizant (CTSH) trades at $44.16, up 3.74% today, with a bullish technical signal and strong support at $44. The stock shows solid fundamentals with a P/E of 9.58, revenue of $21.11B in 2025, and consistent earnings beats. Recent news highlights AI partnerships with Google Cloud and OpenAI, positioning the company for growth in enterprise AI services.
The outlook is positive with a consensus price target of $63.45, implying significant upside. Risks include competitive pressures and macroeconomic softness affecting demand. Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans bullish, with 43% buy ratings. The stock presents a value opportunity given its low valuation multiples and strategic AI investments.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Cognizant is a global IT services provider, offering consulting and outsourcing services to some of the world's largest enterprises spanning the financial services, media and communications, healthcare, natural resources, and consumer products industries. Cognizant employs nearly 300,000 people globally, roughly 70% of whom are in India, although the company's headquarters are in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Read more on CTSH →