COST vs MSFT: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Microsoft Corporation — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-04-10.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$1,002.88
-35.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Microsoft Corporation · Technology
$372.20
+32.4% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A
QuantHub Verdict
MSFT has more upside to fair value
(+32.4%).
MSFT trades at a lower forward P/E
(22.0x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
MSFT |
| Current Price |
$1,002.88 |
$372.20 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$648.03 |
$493.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-35.4%
|
+32.4%
|
| Market Cap |
$444.9B |
$2,763.6B |
| Forward P/E |
52.1x
|
22.0x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
31.0x
|
17.5x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
9.1x
|
| Price / FCF |
49.0x
|
35.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.4%
|
+14.9%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
68.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
45.6%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
29.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0.94% |
| FCF Yield |
2.04%
|
2.8%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global membership-based warehouse club model with over 900 warehouses across 14 countries, generating $254 billion in fiscal 2024 revenue. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by scale advantages, a loyal membership base with high renewal rates, and superior employee retention through better wages and benefits. Despite steady revenue …
Microsoft is the world's largest software company, operating a three-pillar empire across cloud (Azure), productivity (Office 365/Teams), and personal computing (Windows/Xbox). Azure is the second-largest cloud platform globally with 24% market share and growing at 38-39% in constant currency, while Microsoft Cloud revenue crossed $168.9B in FY2025. The stock has dropped 33% from its highs to $37…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
MSFT |
| Zone Low |
$486.02 |
$370.00 |
| Zone High |
$550.83 |
$419.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|