COST vs META: Which Is the Better Buy?

Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Meta Platforms, Inc. โ€” fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals. Updated 2026-09-25.
Costco Wholesale Corporation ยท Consumer Defensive
$896.48
+24.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction Grade B High Quality
VS
Meta Platforms, Inc. ยท Communication Services
$665.60
+21.4% upside to fair value
Med Conviction Grade B+ High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value (+24.7%). These are model outputs โ€” not personalized investment advice. See all research โ†’
Valuation & Fundamentals
Metric COST META
Current Price $896.48 $665.60
Fair Value Estimate $1,117.50 $808.00
Upside to Fair Value +24.7% +21.4%
Market Cap $397.6B $1,695.6B
Forward P/E โ€” โ€”
EV / EBITDA 32.7x 16.7x
Price / Sales 1.3x 7.4x
Price / FCF 42.4x 41.3x
Revenue Growth YoY +11.1% +28.0%
Gross Margin 17.5% 81.7%
Operating Margin 3.9% 38.1%
Return on Equity 28.0% 29.7%
Dividend Yield 0.62% 0.32%
FCF Yield 2.36% 2.42%
Analyst Consensus Strong Buy Strong Buy
Investment Thesis
COST โ€” Costco Wholesale Corporation
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-comโ€ฆ
META โ€” Meta Platforms, Inc.
Meta Platforms operates the Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads ecosystem, monetizing its unmatched global audience primarily through digital advertising. Business quality is high, supported by 3.60 billion Family daily active people, AI-enhanced ad ranking, 81.7% TTM gross margin, 38.1% TTM operating margin, 29.8% TTM net margin and 29.7% ROE. Revenue grew 28.0% year over year iโ€ฆ
Accumulation Zones
Metric COST META
Zone Low $838.12 $606.00
Zone High $949.88 $686.80
In Buy Zone? Yes Yes
โ† COST Research    META Research โ†’    All Research