Costco Wholesale Corporation vs PayPal Holdings, Inc. — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $945.85 (market cap $418.79B), while PayPal Holdings, Inc. trades at $58.38 (market cap $50.47B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 8.3× PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s market cap, and PayPal Holdings, Inc. pays the higher dividend (0.95%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | PYPL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $418.79B | $50.47B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Financials |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $76.13 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $39.08 |
Enterprise Value | $406.93B | $52.62B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 0.95% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
COST trades at $952.75, up 0.52% today, with a neutral technical signal. The stock shows strong fundamentals, including revenue growth to $275.24B in 2025 and consistent earnings beats, though Q1 2026 missed estimates. Positive sentiment is driven by a 65.52% analyst buy rating and a consensus price target of $1,120. Recent news highlights membership fee hikes and robust March sales, supporting investor confidence.
Outlook remains favorable due to steady growth and high institutional ownership, but risks include elevated valuation (P/E 47.5) and competitive pressures. The stock offers long-term potential if earnings momentum continues, though near-term volatility may persist amid market fluctuations.
PayPal trades at $59.07, showing stability with no recent price change. The stock exhibits bullish technical signals with strong moving average support and trades near key resistance at $60. Fundamentally, PayPal delivered Q2 2026 earnings beat with $1.38 EPS versus $1.28 expected, while revenue grew to $33.17 billion in 2025 with improving profit margins. Recent news highlights acquisition interest and strategic partnerships expanding payment capabilities.
PayPal presents a compelling value opportunity with attractive valuation multiples (P/E 11.15, P/S 1.6) and strong cash flow generation ($6.42B operating cash flow). However, risks include competitive pressures in digital payments and execution challenges under new leadership. Analyst consensus leans neutral with 60% hold ratings, though the $58.75 price target suggests limited upside from current levels.
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 →PayPal Holdings, Inc. operates as a technology platform company that enables digital and mobile payments on behalf of consumers and merchants. The Company offers online payment solutions. PayPal Holdings serves customers worldwide.
Read more on PYPL →