COST vs GOOGL: 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 2026-07-13.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$947.50
-1.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Alphabet Inc. · Communication Services
$357.18
-17.7% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(-1.4%).
GOOGL trades at a lower forward P/E
(27.0x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
GOOGL |
| Current Price |
$947.50 |
$357.18 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$933.84 |
$294.10 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-1.4%
|
-17.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$420.2B |
$4,320.1B |
| Forward P/E |
47.6x
|
27.0x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
28.3x
|
20.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.4x
|
10.2x
|
| Price / FCF |
47.7x
|
67.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.6%
|
+21.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
60.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
32.7%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.3%
|
39.0%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.1%
|
1.49%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates as a membership-only warehouse club offering a wide range of merchandise at low prices. The company exhibits high business quality with a durable competitive moat driven by cost advantages, strong brand loyalty, and efficient operations, reflected in a robust ROE of 28.3% and solid revenue growth of 11.6% in the most recent quarter. Despite these strengths, t…
Alphabet Inc. operates as a global leader in internet content and information services, primarily through its Google platform, which dominates search and digital advertising. The company exhibits high business quality with a durable competitive moat supported by network effects, strong brand, and intangible assets. Alphabet's financials show robust profitability with a 39.0% ROE and strong margin…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
GOOGL |
| Zone Low |
$700.38 |
$220.58 |
| Zone High |
$793.76 |
$249.99 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|