Costco Wholesale Corporation vs United States Natural Gas Fund — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $924.6 (market cap $408.78B), while United States Natural Gas Fund trades at $10.51. The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a 0.64% dividend while United States Natural Gas Fund pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | UNG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | — |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Commodities - Energy |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $16.90 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $10.15 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | — |
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.
UNG trades at $10.37, down 2.17% today, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages. The fund tracks natural gas futures, facing headwinds from contango effects and weather-dependent demand. Recent news highlights volatility tied to LNG exports and storage data, with EIA forecasting record 2026 supply and demand (Reuters, 2026-06-09).
Outlook remains cautious due to structural challenges in futures roll costs and price sensitivity to weather. Risks include production swings and geopolitical factors, while opportunities hinge on sustained LNG demand growth. Long-term performance has been hampered by contango, as noted by 24/7 Wall Street (2026-05-28).
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 →UNG is a commodity ETF that tracks the daily price movements of natural gas futures. It primarily invests in front-month contracts at the Henry Hub, making it a highly volatile tool for short-term trading rather than long-term holding due to contango and roll costs.
Read more on UNG →