Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Global Payments Inc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $948.08 (market cap $418.79B), while Global Payments Inc trades at $87.56 (market cap $22.72B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 18.4× Global Payments Inc's market cap, and Global Payments Inc pays the higher dividend (1.16%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | GPN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $418.79B | $22.72B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Industrials |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $90.01 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $62.47 |
Enterprise Value | $406.93B | $40.87B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 1.16% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) trades at $948.43, down 0.45% on the day, with technical indicators signaling a bearish trend amid neutral oscillators. The stock shows strong fundamentals with revenue growth to $275.24 billion in 2025 and consistent earnings beats, though it missed Q1 2026 estimates. Recent news highlights membership fee hikes and robust March sales, while analyst consensus remains bullish with a $1,120 price target.
The outlook for COST is positive due to steady revenue growth and high analyst confidence, but risks include elevated valuation multiples and competitive pressures. Investment opportunity lies in its scalable business model and membership-driven profits, though investors should monitor earnings consistency and macroeconomic impacts on consumer spending.
Global Payments (GPN) trades at $85.03, down 1.28% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages. Recent quarterly EPS beats and a consensus price target of $96.67 suggest upside potential, though negative net income margin and ROE highlight profitability challenges. Cash flow trends show strong operational performance, but rising debt-to-asset ratios warrant monitoring.
The outlook balances growth from Genius platform adoption against margin pressures and competitive fintech threats. Analysts are predominantly bullish, but investors should weigh earnings consistency against valuation risks and macroeconomic headwinds affecting payment volumes.
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 →Global Payments is a leading provider of payment processing and software solutions and focuses on serving small and midsize merchants. The company operates in 30 countries and generates about one fourth of its revenue from outside North America, primarily in Europe and Asia. In 2019, Global Payments merged with Total System Services in an all-stock deal that gave Total System Services shareholders 48% of the combined company's shares.
Read more on GPN →