Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Realty Income Corp — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $942.95 (market cap $422.52B), while Realty Income Corp trades at $61.95 (market cap $58.56B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 7.2× Realty Income Corp's market cap, and Realty Income Corp pays the higher dividend (5.25%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | O | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $422.52B | $58.56B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Real Estate |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $67.56 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $55.93 |
Enterprise Value | $410.66B | $89.19B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 5.25% |
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.
Realty Income (O) trades at $62.51, up 0.24% today, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages but bullish oscillators like RSI. The REIT reported Q2 2026 AFFO of $1.09 per share, matching estimates, and raised full-year guidance, supported by a 98.8% occupancy rate. Recent news highlights its high dividend yield and 115th consecutive quarterly increase, alongside a $6 billion data center joint venture announced in August 2026.
Outlook: Strong dividend growth and strategic expansion into data centers offer upside, but high P/E of 45.63 and recent EPS misses pose valuation risks. Analysts target $67.13 consensus, implying modest growth, with debt-to-asset ratio rising to 39.93% in 2025 signaling financial leverage concerns.
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 →Realty Income owns roughly 11,400 properties, most of which are freestanding, single-tenant, triple-net-leased retail properties. Its properties are located in 49 states and Puerto Rico and are leased to 250 tenants from 47 industries. Recent acquisitions have added industrial, office, manufacturing, and distribution properties, which make up roughly 17% of revenue.
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