COST vs TTD: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and The Trade Desk, Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-05-09.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$999.89
-20.7% upside to fair value
Grade D
High Quality
VS
The Trade Desk, Inc. · Technology
$23.08
+45.0% upside to fair value
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
TTD has more upside to fair value
(+45.0%).
TTD trades at a lower forward P/E
(25.3x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
TTD |
| Current Price |
$999.89 |
$23.08 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$793.02 |
$33.47 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-20.7%
|
+45.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$443.6B |
$10.8B |
| Forward P/E |
51.9x
|
25.3x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
30.9x
|
14.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
3.6x
|
| Price / FCF |
48.8x
|
13.0x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+9.2%
|
+11.8%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
77.8%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
20.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
16.9%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
0% |
| FCF Yield |
2.05%
|
7.71%
|
| 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…
The Trade Desk, Inc. operates a leading self-service, cloud-based programmatic advertising platform focused on demand-side platform services, primarily in connected TV and audio advertising. The company benefits from a durable competitive moat driven by network effects, high customer retention above 95%, and a founder-led management team with deep industry expertise. Despite solid revenue growth …
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
TTD |
| Zone Low |
$594.76 |
$25.10 |
| Zone High |
$674.07 |
$28.45 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|