Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Target Corporation — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $921.9 (market cap $408.78B), while Target Corporation trades at $134.4 (market cap $60.86B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 6.7× Target Corporation's market cap, and Target Corporation pays the higher dividend (3.46%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | TGT | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $60.86B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $141.19 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $83.68 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $76.16B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | 3.46% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
COST trades at $926.43, up 1.11% over 24h, with a bearish technical signal but strong fundamentals. Revenue grew to $275.24B in 2025, with net income of $8.10B, though Q1 2026 EPS missed expectations. The stock's valuation is elevated with a P/E of 46.37, while analyst consensus remains bullish with a $1,120 price target. Recent news highlights membership fee hikes and March sales growth of 11.3% year-over-year, indicating resilient consumer demand.
Outlook is mixed: robust membership model and sales trends support growth, but high valuation and technical bearishness pose near-term risks. Investors should weigh strong cash flow and analyst optimism against potential pullbacks from current levels. Key risks include competitive pressures and macroeconomic sensitivity, though institutional buying signals confidence.
Target (TGT) trades at $134.77, down 0.27% today, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a neutral oscillator stance. The company maintains stable revenue around $106.6 billion (2025) and has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters. Recent dividend payments of $1.14 and $1.16 per share highlight its shareholder returns, while analyst consensus leans toward a buy rating with a $137 price target.
TGT presents a balanced opportunity with solid fundamentals and moderate valuation, but faces risks from competitive retail pressures and margin compression. Upside is supported by consistent earnings beats and dividend reliability, though investors should monitor consumer spending trends and inventory management challenges.
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 →With 1,926 stores (as of the end of fiscal 2021), Target is a leading American general merchandise retailer, offering a variety of products across several categories, including beauty and household essentials (26% of fiscal 2021 sales), food and beverage (19%), home furnishings and décor (19%), hardlines (18%), and apparel and accessories (17%). Most of Target's stores are large, averaging more than 125,000 square feet. The company has a significant e-commerce presence, deriving around 19% of sales from the channel (up from about 9% in fiscal 2019, before the pandemic). In addition to its namesake stores, Target owns Shipt, an online same-day delivery platform. After it exited Canada in 2015, virtually all of Target's revenue is generated from the United States.
Read more on TGT →