Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Upstart Holdings Inc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $947.48 (market cap $418.79B), while Upstart Holdings Inc trades at $29.13 (market cap $2.91B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 143.9× Upstart Holdings Inc's market cap, and Costco Wholesale Corporation pays a 0.62% dividend while Upstart Holdings Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | UPST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $418.79B | $2.91B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Financials |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $73.76 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $24.22 |
Enterprise Value | $406.93B | — |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $944.32, down 0.88% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages but neutral oscillators. The company reported strong March sales growth of 11.3% year-over-year (Business Wire, April 8, 2026) and has consistently beaten earnings expectations in recent quarters. Revenue reached $275.24 billion in 2025 with net income of $8.10 billion, though valuation ratios remain elevated with a P/E of 47.5. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 65.5% buy ratings and a $1,120 price target.
Costco's outlook remains positive due to membership fee increases and expanding warehouse footprint, but the stock faces risks from high valuation multiples and competitive retail pressures. The current price sits near key support at $938, with upside potential to resistance at $950. Institutional buying activity continues, though technical indicators suggest near-term consolidation may occur before further gains.
Upstart trades at $29.23, down 3.24% today, with a bearish technical signal despite recent Q2 2026 earnings beat showing 42% revenue growth and return to GAAP profitability. The stock faces valuation compression concerns with a P/E of 57.48, while analyst consensus remains divided with a $47.20 price target suggesting significant upside potential from current levels.
The outlook balances strong AI-driven loan origination growth against persistent earnings misses and negative cash flow from operations. Key risks include high short interest at 27% and sensitivity to interest rate environment, though institutional sentiment appears cautiously optimistic given the 45% buy rating distribution.
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 →Upstart Holdings Inc provides credit services. The company provides a proprietary, cloud-based, artificial intelligence lending platform. The platform aggregates consumer demand for loans and connects it to the network of Upstart AI-enabled bank partners. The revenue of the company is primarily comprised of fees paid by banks.
Read more on UPST →