Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Valero Energy Corporation — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $945.86 (market cap $420.05B), while Valero Energy Corporation trades at $443 (market cap $127.78B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 3.3× Valero Energy Corporation's market cap, and Valero Energy Corporation pays the higher dividend (1.08%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold Costco Wholesale Corporation for 132 Days and Valero Energy Corporation for 56 Days on average.
| COST | VLO | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $420.05B | $127.78B |
Volume | 2,087,565 | 2,570,225 |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Energy |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $443.80 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $156.39 |
Typical Hold Time | 132 Days | 56 Days |
Enterprise Value | $407.33B | $131.26B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 1.08% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Costco (COST) trades at $942.25, up 0.7% on the day, showing strong operational momentum with a 28.4% ROE and 11.3% March sales growth. The stock is near its 52-week high, supported by bullish moving averages, though RSI levels indicate potential overbought conditions. Recent membership fee hikes and robust cash flow generation underscore its resilient business model.
Outlook remains positive given analyst consensus and a $1,090 price target, but elevated P/E of 45.66 poses valuation risk. Key catalysts include sustained membership growth and expansion, while risks involve competitive pressures and macroeconomic sensitivity.
Valero Energy (VLO) trades at $424.10, up 1.16% today, near its 52-week high. The stock exhibits bullish technical signals with strong moving average alignment and has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters. Revenue declined to $122.69 billion in 2025, but net income margin improved to 5.17%. Analyst consensus is bullish with a $408.10 price target, and recent news highlights institutional buying and refining margin strength.
Outlook remains positive driven by earnings beats and supportive refining margins, but risks include potential diesel export policy changes and volatile energy markets. The stock's high RSI suggests near-term overbought conditions, yet fundamental improvements and strong cash flow projections for 2026 provide a solid foundation for continued investor interest.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
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 →Valero Energy is one of the largest independent refiners in the United States. It operates 14 refineries with a total throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels a day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Valero also owns 14 ethanol plants with capacity of 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol a year and holds a 50% stake in Diamond Green Diesel, which has capacity to produce 700 million gallons per year of renewable diesel.
Read more on VLO →