COST vs SMCI: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Super Micro Computer, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-07.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$999.89
-20.7% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
VS
Super Micro Computer, Inc. · Technology
$34.66
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
SMCI has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
SMCI trades at a lower forward P/E
(11.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
SMCI |
| Current Price |
$999.89 |
$34.66 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$793.02 |
$50.26 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-20.7%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$443.6B |
$20.8B |
| Forward P/E |
51.9x
|
11.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
30.9x
|
17.9x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
0.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
48.8x
|
-3.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.2%
|
+122.7%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
8.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
4.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
26.0%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.05%
|
—
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Hold
|
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…
Super Micro Computer, Inc. is a technology company specializing in server and storage systems, with a dominant 97% revenue share from this segment driven by AI and cloud infrastructure demand. The company benefits from a founder-led management team with deep engineering expertise and strong insider ownership of approximately 46-48%, aligning interests with shareholders. Despite explosive revenue …
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
SMCI |
| Zone Low |
$594.76 |
$37.70 |
| Zone High |
$674.07 |
$42.72 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|