Side-by-Side Comparison

COST vs WMT

Bulk and big-box retail. Compare price, valuation, growth, profitability, and balance-sheet quality — all in one view.

COST wins 5·WMT wins 8·Updated daily
COST
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Consumer Defensive
$952.54
+109.31%
WMT
Walmart Inc.
Consumer Defensive
$115.69
-7.77%
Metric
COST
WMT
Price
Last traded price
$952.54
$115.69
Day Change
Latest session move
+109.31%
-7.77%
Market Cap
Total equity value
$422.43B
$920.67B
P/E (TTM)
Trailing earnings multiple
47.8
40.9
Forward P/E
Forward earnings multiple
42.1
35.2
P/S
Price-to-sales ratio
1.44
1.27
EV/EBITDA
Enterprise value to EBITDA
30.5
22.1
Revenue (TTM)
Trailing twelve-month revenue
$293.59B
$725.3B
Revenue Growth
Year-over-year revenue growth
2150.0%
730.0%
Profit Margin
Net income as % of revenue
301.0%
313.5%
Operating Margin
Operating income as % of revenue
367.3%
421.5%
Return on Equity
Net income as % of equity
2915.2%
2413.2%
Debt / Equity
Total debt vs equity
60.26
74.82
Free Cash Flow
Trailing FCF
$6.95B
$6.86B
Dividend Yield
Annualized yield
6200.00%
8600.00%
Beta
Volatility vs market
0.87
0.6
52W High
12-month high
$1,096.50
$135.16
52W Low
12-month low
$844.06
$94.23

Highlighted values indicate the better reading for that metric, where direction is unambiguous. Lower is generally better for valuation multiples and leverage; higher is better for growth, margin, and cash-flow metrics. Educational data only, not investment advice.

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COST vs WMT — common questions

Is COST or WMT the better stock?

Across the valuation, growth, and profitability metrics compared on this page, WMT shows the stronger reading on more of them (8 vs 5). A metric tally is not a recommendation — the right pick depends on your time horizon and risk tolerance.

Which is bigger, COST or WMT?

WMT has the larger market capitalization — COST is about $422.43B versus $920.67B for WMT.

Which grows faster, COST or WMT?

COST shows the faster year-over-year revenue growth — COST at 21.5% versus 7.3% for WMT.

Is COST or WMT cheaper?

On forward price-to-earnings, WMT trades at the lower multiple — COST at 42.1x versus 35.2x for WMT.

What is the difference between COST and WMT?

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates in the Consumer Defensive sector, while Walmart Inc. operates in the Consumer Defensive sector. This page compares the two across price, valuation multiples, growth, margins, and balance-sheet quality.

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