Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Boston Beer Company Inc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $921.16 (market cap $408.78B), while Boston Beer Company Inc trades at $168.61 (market cap $1.76B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 232.3× Boston Beer Company Inc's market cap, and Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a 0.64% dividend while Boston Beer Company Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | SAM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $1.76B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $260.05 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $161.08 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $1.63B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | — |
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.
Boston Beer Company (SAM) trades at $172.39, down 2.49% on the day, with mixed technical signals showing bearish moving averages but neutral oscillators. Fundamentally, the company reported strong 2025 results with $108M net income and positive cash flow, but faces headwinds with negative 2026 profit margin projections. Recent news highlights innovation in Beyond Beer products and marketing initiatives, though Q1 2026 earnings missed expectations and volume growth concerns persist.
The stock presents a cautious opportunity with analyst consensus target of $213.50 offering 24% upside, but investors face risks from declining volumes, margin pressure, and competitive threats. While cash flow remains positive and valuation ratios appear reasonable, the negative 2026 earnings outlook and bearish technical momentum warrant careful monitoring of upcoming Q2 results and brand performance.
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 →Boston Beer is a leader in U.S. high-end malt beverages and adjacent categories, with strong positions in craft beer, hard cider, and hard seltzer. The firm sells an array of flavor variants and package sizes, predominantly centered around four priority brands: Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly Hard Seltzer. Its drinks are produced in both company-owned breweries as well as through third-party contract arrangements, and while the company primarily goes to market through independent wholesalers (as mandated by law), it operates a fairly large salesforce to induce demand across the value chain (distributors, retailers, and drinkers). The preponderance of revenue is generated domestically.
Read more on SAM →