COST vs INTU: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Intuit Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-10.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$1,002.88
-35.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Intuit Inc. · Technology
$396.57
+37.7% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
QuantHub Verdict
INTU has more upside to fair value
(+37.7%).
INTU trades at a lower forward P/E
(19.5x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
INTU |
| Current Price |
$1,002.88 |
$396.57 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$648.03 |
$546.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-35.4%
|
+37.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$444.9B |
$110.4B |
| Forward P/E |
52.1x
|
19.5x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
31.0x
|
19.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
5.9x
|
| Price / FCF |
49.0x
|
18.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.4%
|
+15.6%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
80.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
26.1%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
19.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
1.17% |
| FCF Yield |
2.04%
|
5.51%
|
| 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 …
Intuit is a near-monopoly financial operating system for 60+ million American households and small businesses. TurboTax handles 40%+ of US e-filed returns; QuickBooks is so deeply embedded in SMB workflows it has become the default accounting standard. The stock has fallen 51% from its 2025 high as markets price in AI disruption that has not materialized at scale and may not, since tax complexity…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
INTU |
| Zone Low |
$486.02 |
$410.00 |
| Zone High |
$550.83 |
$464.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|