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Markets · Consumer Staples · COST · NASDAQ

Costco (COST) at $978.62: P/E of 47.14 Versus Peer Median 42.59 After Six-Month Dip

Costco trades at $978.62 with a P/E of 47.14, above the tracked Consumer Staples peer median of 42.59. Recent headlines focus on its valuation and a $1.47 dividend.

Price$978.62-0.34%
1 month-1.76%
6 months-5.07%
Market cap$433.66B
P/E47.14
Net margin3.0%
COST — 6-month daily close2026-04-14 → 2026-09-03 · AISA Financial API
COST daily close: 04-14 $974.80 → 09-03 $925.41; high $1094 (05-19), low $912.97 (07-09)$898.46$968.58$1039$110904-1406-2409-03
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What the company does

Costco Wholesale Corp is a company in the Consumer Staples sector, within the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry, based in Washington, U.S.A. and listed on NASDAQ under the ticker COST. Companies in this industry sell everyday household goods and food through retail channels. The latest year-over-year figures show revenue up 10.1%, earnings up 13.9% and free cash flow up 19.7%, with a gross margin of 12.8% and an operating margin of 3.9%. Market capitalization stands at $433.66B.

Price action and valuation versus peers

Shares last traded at $978.62, with the day down 0.34%. Across the daily closes from 2026-04-14 to 2026-09-03, the stock moved down 1.8% over roughly one month, down 4.8% over three months and down 5.1% over six months. The six-month high was $1,094.32 on 2026-05-19 and the low was $912.97 on 2026-07-09. On valuation, the P/E is 47.14 against a tracked Consumer Staples peer median of 42.59 (peers: WMT), while P/S is 1.43, P/B 12.11, EV/EBITDA 33.32 and PEG 3.36. Return on equity is 25.8% and debt to equity is 0.17.

What recent headlines say

24/7 Wall St. published on 2026-10-15 a piece titled 'Costco Stock Looks Expensive. Here's Why Investors Keep Buying', which frames the shares as expensive while investors continue to buy. Benzinga reported on 2026-10-15 that Costco shares rose 0.022% after hours following $1.47 dividend approval. GuruFocus and Stock Titan reported on 2026-10-14 that the $1.47 per share quarterly dividend is payable on Nov. 13. TradingView asked on 2026-10-15 why the stock was trending after hours. MarketBeat reported on 2026-10-15 that Fortress Financial Solutions LLC acquired 1,034 shares.

Fundamentals

P/E vs Consumer Staples peersTracked peers in the same sector · ▶ this stock
price-to-earnings: ▶ COST 47.1, WMT 42.6▶ COST47.1WMT42.6
Margins & returnsLatest reported period
margins: Gross 12.8%, Operating 3.9%, Net 3.0%, ROE 25.8%Gross12.8%Operating3.9%Net3.0%ROE25.8%
Growth, year over yearLatest reported period
growth: Revenue +10.14%, Earnings +13.92%, Free cash flow +19.71%, EPS +14.01%Revenue+10.14%Earnings+13.92%Free cash flow+19.71%EPS+14.01%
Market cap$433.66BEnterprise value$419.70B
P/E47.14P/S1.43
P/B12.11EV/EBITDA33.32
PEG3.36EPS$20.76
Debt/equity0.17Current ratio1.06
FCF yield2.2%Payout ratio26.6%

Recent headlines

What to watch

  • The $1.47 per share dividend payable on Nov. 13.
  • Whether the after-hours move reported by Benzinga on 2026-10-15 continues.

FAQ

Is Costco's valuation high compared with peers?

The P/E is 47.14 versus a tracked Consumer Staples peer median of 42.59, with WMT as the listed peer. 24/7 Wall St. headlined the stock as looking expensive on 2026-10-15. This is descriptive context, not a recommendation.

What dividend was approved?

A $1.47 per share quarterly dividend, declared on 2026-10-14 and payable on Nov. 13, according to GuruFocus and Stock Titan.

How has the share price moved recently?

Shares were last at $978.62, down 0.34% on the day. The six-month high was $1,094.32 on 2026-05-19 and the low was $912.97 on 2026-07-09.

How this page is made. Prices, fundamentals and headlines come from the AISA Financial API; peers are the other tracked stocks in the same sector. The profile is written by a language model from those numbers and headlines only — figures not in the data are removed. Nothing here is investment advice.

Sources & citations

  1. Costco Stock Looks Expensive. Here’s Why Investors Keep Buying - 24/7 Wall St. 24/7 Wall St. · 2026-10-15
  2. 1,034 Shares of Costco Wholesale Corporation $COST Acquired by Fortress Financial Solutions LLC - MarketBeat MarketBeat · 2026-10-15
  3. Costco Wholesale Shares Rise 0.022% After Hours After $1.47 Dividend Approval - Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ - Benzinga Benzinga · 2026-10-15
  4. Why Is Costco (COST) Stock Trending After Hours? - TradingView TradingView · 2026-10-15
  5. Costco (COST) Declares Quarterly Dividend of $1.47 per Share - GuruFocus GuruFocus · 2026-10-14
  6. AISA Financial API
  7. Costco Wholesale Corp SEC filings

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