Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Vale SA — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $924.71 (market cap $408.78B), while Vale SA trades at $14.61 (market cap $60.78B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 6.7× Vale SA's market cap, and Vale SA pays the higher dividend (8.63%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | VALE | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $408.78B | $60.78B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Basic Materials |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $17.82 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $9.53 |
Enterprise Value | $396.92B | $77.70B |
Dividend Yield | 0.64% | 8.63% |
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.
VALE trades at $14.18, down 1.94% for the day, amid a bearish technical signal and mixed earnings history. The company reported revenue of $38.40B in 2025 with a net income margin of 7.21%, while recent news highlights a $2.6B decarbonization investment and governance developments. Cash flow remains positive, with operating cash flow at $8.80B in 2025.
The outlook is cautious; while analyst consensus is a Buy with a $17.50 price target, fundamental pressures from declining profit margins and a high debt-to-asset ratio of 24.66% pose risks. Upside depends on commodity price stability and execution of strategic investments.
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 →Vale is the world's largest iron ore miner and one of the largest diversified miners, along with BHP and Rio Tinto. Earnings are dominated by the bulk materials division, primarily iron ore and iron ore pellets, with minor contributions from iron ore proxies, including manganese and coal. The base metals division is much smaller, primarily consisting of nickel mines and smelters with a small contribution from copper.
Read more on VALE →