COST vs V: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Visa Inc. — fair value, conviction, valuation metrics, and QuantHub research signals.
Updated 2026-09-25.
Costco Wholesale Corporation · Consumer Defensive
$896.48
+24.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
VS
Visa Inc. · Financial Services
$368.29
+25.7% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
High Quality
QuantHub Verdict
V has more upside to fair value
(+25.7%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
V |
| Current Price |
$896.48 |
$368.29 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,117.50 |
$463.00 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+24.7%
|
+25.7%
|
| Market Cap |
$397.6B |
$687.6B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
32.7x
|
24.0x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.3x
|
15.5x
|
| Price / FCF |
42.4x
|
33.5x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.1%
|
+14.4%
|
| Gross Margin |
17.5%
|
80.2%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.9%
|
60.7%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.0%
|
61.3%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
0.73% |
| FCF Yield |
2.36%
|
2.98%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Strong Buy
|
Investment Thesis
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates a global network of membership-based warehouse clubs, selling branded and private-label merchandise across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Spain, France, Iceland, and China, supplemented by pharmacies, optical centers, food courts, hearing aid centers, tire installation, 636 gas stations, and e-com…
Visa operates the world's largest retail payments network, connecting consumers, merchants, issuers, and acquirers through VisaNet, which authorizes, clears, and settles transactions across more than 200 countries. The business quality is exceptional: TTM gross margin of 80.2%, operating margin of 60.7%, net margin of 50.8%, and ROE of 61.3% reflect a two-sided network with powerful scale economi…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
V |
| Zone Low |
$838.12 |
$347.25 |
| Zone High |
$949.88 |
$393.55 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|