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 2026-04-10.
Apple Inc. · Technology
$260.88
+135.9% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
VS
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$1,002.88
-35.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
AAPL has more upside to fair value
(+135.9%).
AAPL trades at a lower forward P/E
(32.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
AAPL |
COST |
| Current Price |
$260.88 |
$1,002.88 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$615.48 |
$648.03 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+135.9%
|
-35.4%
|
| Market Cap |
$3,834.4B |
$444.9B |
| Forward P/E |
32.6x
|
52.1x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
25.4x
|
31.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
8.8x
|
1.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
31.1x
|
49.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+40.3%
|
+3.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
47.3%
|
12.9%
|
| Operating Margin |
32.4%
|
3.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
159.9%
|
28.8%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
3.21%
|
2.04%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Apple Inc. is a leading technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software, and services with a strong brand and durable competitive advantages. The business quality is high, demonstrated by exceptional profitability metrics including a 159.9% return on equity, 40.3% revenue growth year-over-year, and 53.3% earnings growth year-over-year. Despite these fundamentals, the stock is cu…
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global membership-based warehouse club model with over 900 warehouses across 14 countries, generating $254 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by scale advantages, a loyal membership base with high renewal rates, and superior employee retention through better wages and benefits. Despite steady revenue …
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
AAPL |
COST |
| Zone Low |
$461.61 |
$486.02 |
| Zone High |
$523.16 |
$550.83 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|