Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Palo Alto Networks Inc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $924.5 (market cap $408.78B), while Palo Alto Networks Inc trades at $354.05 (market cap $287.61B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is the larger of the two by market cap, and Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a 0.64% dividend while Palo Alto Networks Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | PANW | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $287.61B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Technology |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $357.53 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $141.67 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $286.57B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | — |
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.
Palo Alto Networks (PANW) trades at $330.30, up 1.35% with a bullish technical outlook and strong earnings beats. The stock shows robust revenue growth to $9.22B in 2025 and a net income margin of 7.95%, though valuation ratios like P/E of 287.22 remain elevated. Recent news highlights cybersecurity sector tailwinds from AI-driven threats and IBM's client shifts, fueling positive sentiment.
Outlook is positive with 74% analyst buy ratings and a $336.65 consensus target, but high valuations and integration costs pose risks. Revenue growth and platformization strategy support upside, while competition and macroeconomic pressures require monitoring for sustained gains.
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 →Palo Alto Networks is a pure-play cybersecurity vendor that sells security appliances, subscriptions, and support into enterprises, government entities, and service providers. The company's product portfolio includes firewall appliances, virtual firewalls, endpoint protection, cloud security, and cybersecurity analytics. The Santa Clara, California, firm was established in 2005 and sells its products worldwide.
Read more on PANW →