Costco Wholesale Corporation vs Walmart Stores Inc — how do they compare? Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $938.8 (market cap $418.79B), while Walmart Stores Inc trades at $112.68 (market cap $901.33B). The key difference: Walmart Stores Inc is far larger — about 2.2× Costco Wholesale Corporation's market cap, and Walmart Stores Inc pays the higher dividend (0.87%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| COST | WMT | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $418.79B | $901.33B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $1.09K | $134.20 |
52-Week Low | $849.63 | $96.05 |
Enterprise Value | $406.93B | $964.78B |
Dividend Yield | 0.62% | 0.87% |
Volume | — | 5,675,288 |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
COST trades at $952.75, up 0.52% today, with a neutral technical signal. The stock shows strong fundamentals, including revenue growth to $275.24B in 2025 and consistent earnings beats, though Q1 2026 missed estimates. Positive sentiment is driven by a 65.52% analyst buy rating and a consensus price target of $1,120. Recent news highlights membership fee hikes and robust March sales, supporting investor confidence.
Outlook remains favorable due to steady growth and high institutional ownership, but risks include elevated valuation (P/E 47.5) and competitive pressures. The stock offers long-term potential if earnings momentum continues, though near-term volatility may persist amid market fluctuations.
Walmart (WMT) trades at $112.66, up 0.72% with strong fundamental performance including three consecutive quarterly EPS beats and robust revenue growth to $681B in 2025. The stock shows neutral technical signals with RSI at 62.52, while analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with a $142 price target. Recent developments include AI tool innovations and expanded delivery services positioning the company for continued market leadership.
Walmart presents a compelling investment case with solid fundamentals and analyst support, though valuation multiples appear elevated. Key opportunities include sustained revenue growth and operational efficiency gains, while risks involve competitive pressures from Amazon and potential margin compression. The stock offers 26% upside to consensus targets but requires monitoring of execution against high expectations.
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 →Walmart Inc. operates discount stores, supercenters, and neighborhood markets. The Company offers merchandise such as apparel, house wares, small appliances, electronics, musical instruments, books, home improvement, shoes, jewelry, toddler, games, household essentials, pets, pharmaceutical products, party supplies, and automotive tools. Walmart serves customers worldwide.
Read more on WMT →