Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Southwest Airlines Co — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $949.05 (market cap $418.79B), while Southwest Airlines Co trades at $45.09 (market cap $22.27B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 18.8× Southwest Airlines Co's market cap, and Southwest Airlines Co pays the higher dividend (1.58%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | LUV | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $418.79B | $22.27B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Industrials |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $54.80 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $29.67 |
Enterprise Value | $406.93B | $25.37B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 1.58% |
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.
Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades at $45.06, up 0.36% with mixed technical signals showing bearish moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings with $0.94 EPS beating expectations by 84%, while Q1 missed estimates. Revenue growth continues with 2026 projections at $30.1B, though net margins remain thin at 2.78%. Recent board appointments and business travel initiatives signal strategic focus on premium segments.
LUV presents a value opportunity with attractive P/S (0.79) and dividend yield, but faces headwinds from fuel cost volatility and competitive pressures. Analyst consensus targets $53.86 (20% upside) with mixed ratings. The stock's outlook hinges on sustained travel demand and effective cost management amid industry challenges.
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 →Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic carrier in the United States, as measured by the number of originating passengers boarded. Southwest operates over 700 aircraft in an all-Boeing 737 fleet. Despite expanding into longer routes and business travel, the airline still specializes in short-haul leisure flights, using a point-to-point network. Southwest operates a low-cost carrier business model.
Read more on LUV →