Costco Wholesale Corporation vs SMX Security Matters plc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $921.74 (market cap $408.78B), while SMX Security Matters plc trades at $20.3 (market cap $17.11M). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 23891.3× SMX Security Matters plc's market cap, and Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a 0.64% dividend while SMX Security Matters plc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | SMX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $17.11M |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Technology |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $295.56K |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $12.87 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $14.08M |
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.
SMX trades at $16.21, up 3.58% today, amid neutral technical signals and recent reverse stock splits. The company is positioning itself in the recycling technology space with its Circularity-as-a-Service platform, targeting demand from new state recycling mandates. However, financial metrics show significant challenges with negative ROE of -2,216.26% and ROA of -398.22%, indicating substantial profitability concerns despite a reasonable P/B ratio of 1.93.
The outlook remains speculative with potential upside from regulatory tailwinds in recycling verification technology, but high execution risk given current negative profitability. Investors face substantial dilution risk from recent reverse splits and need to monitor the company's ability to convert regulatory opportunities into sustainable revenue growth.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →SMX Security Matters plc is a digital authentication and tracking technology company that uses a chemical-based, invisible marker system to trace and verify products across global supply chains. Their technology creates a 'digital twin' of physical products, used for quality control, counterfeiting prevention, and ensuring sustainability compliance from raw materials to final sale. The company's solutions are applied across various industries, including precious materials, luxury goods, and fast-moving consumer goods.
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