Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Microsoft — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $942 (market cap $422.52B), while Microsoft trades at $498.78 (market cap $3.76T). The key difference: Microsoft is far larger — about 8.9× Costco Wholesale Corporation's market cap, and Microsoft pays the higher dividend (0.72%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | MSFT | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $422.52B | $3.76T |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Technology |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $542.07 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $352.83 |
Enterprise Value | $410.66B | $3.74T |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 0.72% |
Volume | — | 36,654,621 |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $952.75, up 0.52% with a neutral technical outlook. The stock shows strong fundamentals with revenue growth from $254.5B in 2024 to $275.2B in 2025 and net income reaching $8.1B. Recent March sales surged 11.3% year-over-year to $28.41B. Valuation metrics remain elevated with P/E at 47.93 and P/S at 1.44. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 65.5% buy ratings and a $1,120 price target.
The investment case centers on Costco's membership-driven profit engine and consistent execution, though high valuation presents near-term risk. Upside potential exists if the company maintains its premium growth trajectory, while any earnings disappointment could trigger valuation compression. The recent membership fee increase and strong renewal rates support margin expansion prospects.
Microsoft (MSFT) trades at $506.06, up 1.21% with strong technical momentum and bullish moving average signals. The company demonstrates robust fundamentals with $281.72B revenue, 40.31% net margin, and consistent earnings beats. Analyst consensus remains overwhelmingly positive with 80.49% buy ratings and $552.73 price target, representing 9.2% upside potential. Recent news highlights Microsoft's AI leadership and cloud computing strength.
Microsoft presents a compelling investment case with strong financial performance and AI-driven growth prospects. Key opportunities include Azure cloud expansion and Copilot adoption, while risks involve increased capital expenditures and competitive pressures. The stock's current valuation at 28.19 P/E appears reasonable given growth trajectory, though investors should monitor execution on AI investments and macroeconomic conditions affecting tech spending.
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 →Microsoft Corporation develops, manufactures, licenses, sells, and supports software products. The Company offers operating system software, server application software, business and consumer applications software, software development tools, and Internet and intranet software. Microsoft also develops video game consoles and digital music entertainment devices.
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