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 2026-09-25.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$896.48
+24.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
VS
Alphabet Inc. · Communication Services
$334.98
+15.8% 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 |
COST |
GOOG |
| Current Price |
$896.48 |
$334.98 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,117.50 |
$387.82 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+24.7%
|
+15.8%
|
| Market Cap |
$397.6B |
$4,065.3B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
32.7x
|
12.7x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.3x
|
9.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
42.4x
|
76.4x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.1%
|
+24.2%
|
| Gross Margin |
17.5%
|
60.9%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.9%
|
33.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.0%
|
50.8%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
0.26% |
| FCF Yield |
2.36%
|
1.31%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
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…
Alphabet Inc. is the parent of Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets, monetizing Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Google Play, Workspace, and enterprise cloud and AI infrastructure across the globe with roughly 190,820 full-time employees. The business quality is high: trailing-twelve-month gross margin is 60.9%, operating margin is 33.1%, net margin is 54.8%, and return on equity is 50.…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
GOOG |
| Zone Low |
$838.12 |
$290.87 |
| Zone High |
$949.88 |
$329.65 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|