COST vs KO: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and The Coca-Cola Company — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-04.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$999.89
-19.1% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
VS
The Coca-Cola Company · Consumer Defensive
$78.19
-7.8% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
KO has more upside to fair value
(-7.8%).
KO trades at a lower forward P/E
(24.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
KO |
| Current Price |
$999.89 |
$78.19 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$808.71 |
$72.12 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-19.1%
|
-7.8%
|
| Market Cap |
$443.6B |
$336.5B |
| Forward P/E |
51.9x
|
24.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
30.9x
|
19.9x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
6.8x
|
| Price / FCF |
48.8x
|
26.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.2%
|
+12.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
61.7%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
29.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
43.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.05%
|
3.73%
|
| 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…
The Coca-Cola Company is a leading global beverage company specializing in non-alcoholic drinks with a diversified portfolio including sparkling soft drinks, juices, water, coffee, and energy beverages. The business quality is high due to its durable brand moat, consistent earnings growth, and strong operational efficiency, reflected in a 43.6% return on equity and 12.1% revenue growth in the mos…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
KO |
| Zone Low |
$606.53 |
$54.09 |
| Zone High |
$687.40 |
$61.30 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|