Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Marathon Petroleum Corp — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $922.15 (market cap $408.78B), while Marathon Petroleum Corp trades at $297.05 (market cap $88.57B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 4.6× Marathon Petroleum Corp's market cap, and Marathon Petroleum Corp pays the higher dividend (1.29%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | MPC | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $88.57B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Energy |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $303.40 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $158.59 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $120.75B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | 1.29% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $923.9, down 0.27% with bearish technical signals but strong fundamentals. The stock shows consistent revenue growth, reaching $275.24B in 2025 with net income of $8.10B. Recent March sales surged 11.3% year-over-year to $28.41B, indicating robust business momentum. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with 65.5% buy ratings and a $1,120 price target, though valuation metrics appear elevated with P/E at 46.37.
The investment case balances premium valuation against exceptional operational execution. Membership fee increases and expanding warehouse network drive profitability, but high P/E ratio requires sustained growth. Key risks include competitive pressure and economic sensitivity, while institutional accumulation supports long-term confidence.
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) trades at $296.88, up 4.63% today and near its 52-week high. The stock shows strong momentum with bullish moving averages and a consensus analyst rating of Buy (75.76%). Recent earnings beat expectations in Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, though revenue has declined from $177.5B in 2022 to $132.7B in 2025. The company maintains solid profitability with a 3.42% net margin and 27.92% ROE, supported by a dividend payment of $1.00 scheduled for June 2026.
MPC's outlook is positive due to elevated refining margins and analyst optimism, but risks include volatile oil prices, legal challenges over AI pricing allegations, and declining revenue trends. The stock trades above the consensus price target of $292.70, suggesting limited near-term upside despite strong institutional support.
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 →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 →