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 2026-07-08.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$947.50
-1.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
Super Micro Computer, Inc. · Technology
$30.66
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
QuantHub Verdict
SMCI has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
SMCI trades at a lower forward P/E
(14.7x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
SMCI |
| Current Price |
$947.50 |
$30.66 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$933.84 |
$44.46 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-1.4%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$420.2B |
$18.4B |
| Forward P/E |
47.6x
|
14.7x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
28.3x
|
13.6x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.4x
|
0.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
47.7x
|
-2.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.6%
|
+122.7%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
8.4%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
4.5%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.3%
|
18.2%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.1%
|
—
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Buy
|
Hold
|
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…
Super Micro Computer, Inc. is a technology company specializing in server and storage systems, with a strong focus on AI infrastructure. The business quality is medium due to its founder-led management with over 30 years of tenure, a widening moat driven by systems engineering and close partnerships with Nvidia, and rapid revenue growth of 122.7% in the most recent quarter. However, the company f…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
SMCI |
| Zone Low |
$700.38 |
$33.34 |
| Zone High |
$793.76 |
$37.79 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|