Costco Wholesale Corporation vs iShares Russell 2000 ETF — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $944.56 (market cap $420.05B), while iShares Russell 2000 ETF trades at $278.76 (market cap $77.70B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 5.4× iShares Russell 2000 ETF's market cap, and Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a 0.62% dividend while iShares Russell 2000 ETF pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Costco Wholesale Corporation for 132 Days and iShares Russell 2000 ETF for 83 Days on average.
| COST | IWM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $420.05B | $77.70B |
Volume | 2,087,565 | 35,598,983 |
Sector | Consumer Staples | — |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $305.06 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $229.13 |
Typical Hold Time | 132 Days | 83 Days |
Enterprise Value | $407.33B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $942.25, up 0.7% on the day, showing strong operational momentum with a 28.4% ROE and 11.3% March sales growth. The stock is near its 52-week high, supported by bullish moving averages, though RSI levels indicate potential overbought conditions. Recent membership fee hikes and robust cash flow generation underscore its resilient business model.
Outlook remains positive given analyst consensus and a $1,090 price target, but elevated P/E of 45.66 poses valuation risk. Key catalysts include sustained membership growth and expansion, while risks involve competitive pressures and macroeconomic sensitivity.
IWM trades at $278.05, up 0.12% with bearish technical signals from moving averages. The small-cap ETF faces headwinds from Federal Reserve rate hikes and underperformance relative to large-cap indices. Recent news highlights IWM's decade-long trailing of the S&P 500 while carrying higher risk, with institutional selling pressure evident from Envestnet's 4.6% stake reduction in Q3 2026.
Small-cap exposure offers diversification but faces near-term pressure from tightening financial conditions. The ETF's broad Russell 2000 composition includes unprofitable companies, creating performance drag. Upside potential exists if economic conditions improve, but current momentum favors large-caps amid rising interest rates and energy price volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
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 →The ETF is designed to track the performance of the securities and the stocks in the Russell 2000 Index. To maintain the composition and weightings, the advisor adjusts the ETF from time to time to conform to periodic changes in the index target.
Read more on IWM →