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 2026-04-16.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$1,002.88
-35.4% upside to fair value
Grade C
High Quality
VS
The Trade Desk, Inc. · Technology
$22.76
+488.8% upside to fair value
High Conviction
Grade A-
QuantHub Verdict
TTD has more upside to fair value
(+488.8%).
TTD trades at a lower forward P/E
(24.6x).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
See all research →
Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
TTD |
| Current Price |
$1,002.88 |
$22.76 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$648.03 |
$134.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
-35.4%
|
+488.8%
|
| Market Cap |
$444.9B |
$10.8B |
| Forward P/E |
52.1x
|
24.6x
|
| EV / EBITDA |
31.0x
|
—
|
| Price / Sales |
1.6x
|
3.7x
|
| Price / FCF |
49.0x
|
13.8x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+3.4%
|
+14.5%
|
| Gross Margin |
12.9%
|
78.6%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.8%
|
20.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.8%
|
16.9%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0% |
— |
| FCF Yield |
2.04%
|
7.3%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
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 …
The Trade Desk is the largest independent demand-side platform for programmatic advertising with 78.6% gross margins. After recent sell-off, stock trades at 3.2x forward P/S vs historical higher multiples, offering upside if growth stabilizes at 15%+. A-tier business at cheap valuation.[1]
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
TTD |
| Zone Low |
$486.02 |
$100.00 |
| Zone High |
$550.83 |
$114.00 |
| In Buy Zone? |
No
|
Yes
|