Costco Wholesale Corporation vs QUALCOMM, Inc. — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $921.25 (market cap $408.78B), while QUALCOMM, Inc. trades at $179.07 (market cap $187.72B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 2.2× QUALCOMM, Inc.'s market cap, and QUALCOMM, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.07%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | QCOM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $187.72B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Technology |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $251.10 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $124.07 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $193.19B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | 2.07% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $926.43, up 1.11% with strong fundamentals including 11.3% March sales growth and consistent earnings beats. The stock faces technical headwinds with bearish moving averages but maintains solid profitability with $8.1B net income and expanding margins. Recent membership fee increases and warehouse expansion support long-term growth, though high valuation multiples present near-term pressure.
Outlook remains positive with analyst consensus at $1,120 price target (65% buy ratings), but investors should monitor valuation sustainability amid technical weakness. Key risks include competitive pressures and economic sensitivity, while institutional accumulation and strong cash flow generation provide fundamental support.
Qualcomm (QCOM) trades at $183.98, down 2.74% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal. The company maintains strong profitability with 54.8% gross margins and 22.31% net income margin, though revenue growth has been modest. Recent earnings have consistently beaten expectations, with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.65 surpassing the $2.56 estimate. Analyst consensus remains positive with a $222.53 price target, representing 21% upside potential from current levels.
Qualcomm faces near-term headwinds from smartphone market softness but is successfully diversifying into automotive and AI data centers. The stock offers value at 19.15x P/E with strong cash flow generation, though competition from Nvidia in PC chips presents execution risk. With 42.65% of analysts rating it Buy and solid balance sheet fundamentals, QCOM presents a compelling long-term opportunity despite technical weakness.
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 →Qualcomm develops and licenses wireless technology and designs chips for smartphones. The company's key patents revolve around CDMA and OFDMA technologies, which are standards in wireless communications that are the backbone of all 3G and 4G networks. The firm is a leader in 5G network technology as well. Qualcomm's IP is licensed by virtually all wireless device makers. The firm is also the world's largest wireless chip vendor, supplying nearly every premier handset maker with leading-edge processors. Qualcomm also sells RF-front end modules into smartphones and chips into automotive and Internet of Things markets.
Read more on QCOM →