COST vs ISRG: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Intuitive Surgical, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-22.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$999.89
-19.1% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
VS
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. · Healthcare
$451.29
+130.4% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
ISRG has more upside to fair value
(+130.4%).
COST trades at a lower forward P/E
(51.9x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
ISRG |
| Current Price |
$999.89 |
$451.29 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$808.71 |
$1,039.74 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-19.1%
|
+130.4%
|
| Market Cap |
$443.6B |
$160.3B |
| Forward P/E |
51.9x
|
53.8x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
30.9x
|
40.5x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
15.2x
|
| Price / FCF |
48.8x
|
64.3x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.2%
|
+23.0%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
66.3%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
30.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
17.0%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.05%
|
1.55%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
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…
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is a leading healthcare company specializing in robotic-assisted surgery through its flagship da Vinci system, which has established a durable competitive moat with approximately 10,000 systems installed globally and nearly 17 million procedures performed by the end of 2024. The company benefits from a high-quality business model characterized by 85% recurring revenue, st…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
ISRG |
| Zone Low |
$606.53 |
$779.81 |
| Zone High |
$687.40 |
$883.78 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|