COST vs GOOG: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Alphabet Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-18.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$1,002.88
-35.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Alphabet Inc. · Communication Services
$339.40
-4.4% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
GOOG has more upside to fair value
(-4.4%).
GOOG trades at a lower forward P/E
(31.2x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
GOOG |
| Current Price |
$1,002.88 |
$339.40 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$648.03 |
$324.34 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-35.4%
|
-4.4%
|
| Market Cap |
$444.9B |
$4,105.7B |
| Forward P/E |
52.1x
|
31.2x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
31.0x
|
23.1x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
10.3x
|
| Price / FCF |
49.0x
|
56.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.4%
|
+11.3%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
59.7%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
32.0%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
35.0%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.04%
|
1.77%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
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 …
Alphabet Inc. operates as a global leader in internet content, advertising, cloud computing, and AI technologies, with dominant market positions in search, browser, and mobile operating systems. The company benefits from a high-quality business model characterized by a durable competitive moat, strong revenue growth of 11.3% year-over-year, and robust profitability with net margins of 32.8%. Desp…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
GOOG |
| Zone Low |
$486.02 |
$243.25 |
| Zone High |
$550.83 |
$275.69 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|