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 2026-04-20.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$999.89
-20.7% upside to fair value
Grade D High Quality
VS
Intuit Inc. · Technology
$396.57
+45.0% upside to fair value
High Conviction Grade A-
QuantHub Verdict
INTU has more upside to fair value (+45.0%). 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 $999.89 $396.57
Fair Value Estimate $793.02 $575.03
Upside to Fair Value -20.7% +45.0%
Market Cap $443.6B $110.4B
Forward P/E 51.9x 19.5x
EV / EBITDA 30.9x 19.0x
Price / Sales 1.6x 5.9x
Price / FCF 48.8x 18.1x
Revenue Growth YoY +9.2% +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 2.05% 5.51%
Analyst Consensus Buy Buy
Investment Thesis
COST — Costco Wholesale Corporation
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global membership-based warehouse club model that leverages scale, low costs, and superior employee retention to deliver consistent revenue and earnings growth. The company reported $269.9 billion in net sales for fiscal 2025 with an 8% year-over-year increase, driven by strong segments in Foods and Sundries and membership fees exceeding $5.65 billion in th…
INTU — Intuit Inc.
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 $594.76 $431.27
Zone High $674.07 $488.78
In Buy Zone? No Yes
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