COST vs GS: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-11.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$1,002.88
-35.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. · Financial Services
$907.80
-3.1% upside to fair value
Low Conviction
Grade C+
QuantHub Verdict
GS has more upside to fair value
(-3.1%).
GS trades at a lower forward P/E
(15.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
GS |
| Current Price |
$1,002.88 |
$907.80 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$648.03 |
$880.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-35.4%
|
-3.1%
|
| Market Cap |
$444.9B |
$269.4B |
| Forward P/E |
52.1x
|
15.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
31.0x
|
29.7x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
2.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
49.0x
|
—
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.4%
|
+9.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
47.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
17.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
13.8%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
1.71% |
| FCF Yield |
2.04%
|
—
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
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 …
Goldman Sachs remains the premier global investment bank with dominant franchises in M&A advisory, equities trading, and asset management. FY2025 delivered $58.3B net revenues, 15% ROE, and $51.32 diluted EPS, powered by record equities trading and a resurgent IB pipeline. The stock has pulled back 8% from January highs near $985 but still trades at 2.27x book value, well above the 5-year median …
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
GS |
| Zone Low |
$486.02 |
$600.00 |
| Zone High |
$550.83 |
$680.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|