COST vs MA: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Mastercard Incorporated — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-25.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$896.48
+24.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
VS
Mastercard Incorporated · Financial Services
$574.42
+25.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade A-
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
MA has more upside to fair value
(+25.0%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
MA |
| Current Price |
$896.48 |
$574.42 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,117.50 |
$718.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+24.7%
|
+25.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$397.6B |
$503.8B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
32.7x
|
23.4x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.3x
|
14.4x
|
| Price / FCF |
42.4x
|
30.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.1%
|
+14.1%
|
| Gross Margin |
17.5%
|
100%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.9%
|
59.8%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.0%
|
232.5%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
0.59% |
| FCF Yield |
2.36%
|
3.25%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global network of membership-based warehouse clubs, selling branded and private-label merchandise across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, and China, supplemented by pharmacies, optical centers, food courts, hearing aid centers, tire installation, 636 gas stations, and e-com…
Mastercard operates a global payments network that connects issuers, acquirers, merchants and consumers across more than 200 countries and territories, monetizing payment volumes, cross-border activity and higher-growth value-added services. Business quality is high because its two-sided network, trusted authorization-clearing-settlement infrastructure, brand, security capabilities and broad acce…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
MA |
| Zone Low |
$838.12 |
$538.50 |
| Zone High |
$949.88 |
$610.30 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|