Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Marathon Petroleum Corp — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $942.01 (market cap $422.52B), while Marathon Petroleum Corp trades at $335.6 (market cap $89.95B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 4.7× Marathon Petroleum Corp's market cap, and Marathon Petroleum Corp pays the higher dividend (1.25%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | MPC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $422.52B | $89.95B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Energy |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $336.42 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $159.11 |
Enterprise Value | $410.66B | $116.48B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 1.25% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $952.75, up 0.52% with neutral technical signals. The company shows steady revenue growth, reaching $275.24B in 2025, and maintains strong profitability with a 3.01% net margin. Recent earnings beat expectations in Q3 and Q4 2025 but missed in Q1 2026. Analyst sentiment remains bullish with 65.52% buy ratings and a $1,120 consensus price target, while institutional buying activity continues.
Costco's outlook is positive due to membership fee growth and expansion, though high valuation multiples (P/E 47.93) pose risks. Key opportunities include consistent cash flow generation and market share gains, while risks involve competitive pressures and economic sensitivity. The stock offers long-term growth potential but requires monitoring of valuation metrics.
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) trades at $298.20, down 0.35% with a bearish technical signal despite strong fundamental performance. The stock shows exceptional earnings momentum with three consecutive quarterly beats, including a massive Q2 2026 EPS of $17.73 versus $14.27 expected. Valuation remains attractive with P/E of 10.34 and EV/EBITDA of 6.26, while maintaining robust profitability with 47.9% ROE.
MPC presents a compelling investment case with strong analyst support (76% buy ratings) and $330.70 price target upside. However, declining revenue trends from $177.5B in 2022 to $132.7B in 2025 and rising debt-to-asset ratio to 42.59% pose fundamental concerns. Technical weakness near pivot point resistance at $297 requires monitoring despite positive refining margin outlook.
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 →Marathon Petroleum is an independent refiner with 13 refineries in the midcontinent, West Coast, and Gulf Coast of the United States with total throughput capacity of 2.9 million barrels per day. Its Dickinson, ND, facility produces 184 million gallons a year of renewable diesel. Its Martinez, CA, facility will have the ability to produce 730 million gallons a year of renewable diesel once converted. The firm also owns and operates midstream assets primarily through its listed MLP, MPLX.
Read more on MPC →