AAPL vs COST: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Apple Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-25.
Apple Inc. · Technology
$337.02
+9.9% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
VS
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$896.48
+24.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(+24.7%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AAPL |
COST |
| Current Price |
$337.02 |
$896.48 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$370.54 |
$1,117.50 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+9.9%
|
+24.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$4,949.9B |
$397.6B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
29.6x
|
32.7x
|
| Price / Sales |
10.6x
|
1.3x
|
| Price / FCF |
36.2x
|
42.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+16.4%
|
+11.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
48.7%
|
17.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
33.2%
|
3.9%
|
| Return on Equity |
137.2%
|
28.0%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.31% |
0.62% |
| FCF Yield |
2.76%
|
2.36%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Apple Inc. is a global consumer-electronics and services platform whose hardware lineup (iPhone, Mac, iPad, wearables) and digital ecosystem (App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Pay, advertising) generated $31.78 of revenue per share and $9.30 of free cash flow per share on a trailing basis, with TTM gross margin of 48.7%, operating margin of 33.2%, net margin of 27.6%, and ROE of 137.2%. Busin…
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global network of membership-based warehouse clubs, selling branded and private-label merchandise across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, and China, supplemented by pharmacies, optical centers, food courts, hearing aid centers, tire installation, 636 gas stations, and e-com…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AAPL |
COST |
| Zone Low |
$277.91 |
$838.12 |
| Zone High |
$314.96 |
$949.88 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|