COST vs GS: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. β€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-07-14.
Costco Wholesale Corporation Β· Consumer Defensive
$947.50
-1.4% upside to fair value
Grade C High Quality
VS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Β· Financial Services
$1,045.91
-45.0% upside to fair value
Grade D
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value (-1.4%). GS trades at a lower forward P/E (23.6x). These are model outputs β€” not personalized investment advice. See all research β†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric COST GS
Current Price $947.50 $1,045.91
Fair Value Estimate $933.84 $575.25
Upside to Fair Value -1.4% -45.0%
Market Cap $420.2B $308.6B
Forward P/E 47.6x 23.6x
EV / EBITDA 28.3x 15.9x
Price / Sales 1.4x 3.1x
Price / FCF 47.7x -7.4x
Revenue Growth YoY +11.6% -35.0%
Gross Margin 12.9% 47.4%
Operating Margin 3.8% 17.8%
Return on Equity 28.3% 15.3%
Dividend Yield 0% 0%
FCF Yield 2.1% β€”
Analyst Consensus Buy Hold
Investment Thesis
COST β€” Costco Wholesale Corporation
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…
GS β€” The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. operates as a leading global financial services firm specializing in investment banking, securities, investment management, and consumer banking. Despite its strong brand and competitive position in financial capital markets, the company currently faces significant headwinds as evidenced by a 35% decline in revenue and a 100% drop in earnings in the most recent quart…
Accumulation Zones
Metric COST GS
Zone Low $700.38 $431.44
Zone High $793.76 $488.96
In Buy Zone? No No
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