Costco Wholesale Corporation and its subsidiaries (Costco) principally engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States (U.S.), Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spai…
Analysis
Hope premium
Costco Wholesale Corporation carries what we call a hope premium: an average business trading at an ambitious price. One caution: reported profits have recently run ahead of actual cash, which we track closely.
The price is expensive. You pay 83.3× its owner earnings: the cash an owner could take out each year, which is in the historically expensive zone. At today's price, the market is assuming roughly 26% yearly growth; analysts expect 10%. The market is pricing in far more than analysts expect: heroic expectations.
The trajectory is moderate and the balance sheet is sturdy. The company scores 12/20 on our value-creation score: creating some value.
What to watch: Reported profits have run ahead of actual cash for several periods. As always: this describes the company's numbers; it is not a recommendation.
360° rank · history
1007550250
Jan 202393
70
2023202420252026
All-time high
93
Mar 2024
All-time low
34
Feb 2026
Average rank
79
across all years
Detailed & Historical Ranks
Deep dive into 15 detailed ranks and 3 years of history.
Current202520242023
Price/Sales
27
19
27
37
Price/Earnings
1
5
13
5
Price/Book
9
3
6
16
Dividend Yield
67
58
54
55
Value (overall)
24
29
7
21
Cells are coloured by rank band (red weak → green strong). Sentiment & 360° history begins 2023.