Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Global Payments Inc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $922.4 (market cap $408.78B), while Global Payments Inc trades at $79.47 (market cap $20.76B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 19.7× Global Payments Inc's market cap, and Global Payments Inc pays the higher dividend (1.32%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | GPN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $20.76B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Industrials |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $90.01 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $62.47 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $38.48B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | 1.32% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $920.54, down 0.64% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The company reported revenue of $275.24 billion in 2025, with net income of $8.10 billion, and recently announced strong March sales growth of 11.3% year-over-year (GlobeNewsWire, 2026-04-08). Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with a $1,120 price target, supported by 38 buy ratings.
The stock's high P/E of 46.37 reflects premium valuation, but consistent revenue growth and membership fee increases underpin fundamentals. Risks include competitive pressures and sensitivity to consumer spending. Upside potential exists if the stock pulls back toward support levels, aligning with analyst targets.
GPN trades at $76.85, up 1.07% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and recent earnings beats. The company reported Q1 2026 EPS of $2.96, exceeding expectations, and maintains strong cash flow from operations at $2.66B in 2025. However, net income margin turned negative at -7.97% for 2026, reflecting profitability challenges amid rising debt levels, with debt-to-asset ratio increasing to 41.57% in 2025.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is bullish with a $81.56 price target and 58% buy ratings, supported by AI-driven POS expansions and the Worldpay integration. Key risks include margin pressure from fintech competition and high leverage, which could constrain equity returns if revenue growth falters.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →