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 2026-07-17.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$947.50
-1.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
The Coca-Cola Company · Consumer Defensive
$84.92
-10.2% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(-1.4%).
KO trades at a lower forward P/E
(26.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
KO |
| Current Price |
$947.50 |
$84.92 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$933.84 |
$76.30 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-1.4%
|
-10.2%
|
| Market Cap |
$420.2B |
$365.4B |
| Forward P/E |
47.6x
|
26.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
28.3x
|
20.7x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.4x
|
7.4x
|
| Price / FCF |
47.7x
|
29.1x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.6%
|
+12.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
61.7%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
29.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.3%
|
43.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.1%
|
3.44%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates as a membership-only warehouse club offering a wide range of merchandise at low prices. The company exhibits high business quality with a durable competitive moat driven by cost advantages, strong brand loyalty, and efficient operations, reflected in a robust ROE of 28.3% and solid revenue growth of 11.6% in the most recent quarter. Despite these strengths, t…
The Coca-Cola Company is a leading global beverage company specializing in non-alcoholic drinks with a durable competitive moat driven by its strong brand and extensive distribution network. The business quality is high, evidenced by a 43.6% return on equity, robust gross margin of 61.7%, and solid revenue and earnings growth of 12.1% and 17.8% respectively in the most recent quarter. Despite the…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
KO |
| Zone Low |
$700.38 |
$57.22 |
| Zone High |
$793.76 |
$64.85 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
No
|