COST vs VST: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Vistra Corp. — 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
Vistra Corp. · Utilities
$140.67
-23.0% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade C
QuantHub Verdict
COST has more upside to fair value
(+24.7%).
These are model outputs — not personalized investment advice.
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Valuation & Fundamentals
| Metric |
COST |
VST |
| Current Price |
$896.48 |
$140.67 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,117.50 |
$108.27 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+24.7%
|
-23.0%
|
| Market Cap |
$397.6B |
$47.4B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
32.7x
|
10.3x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.3x
|
3.0x
|
| Price / FCF |
42.4x
|
34.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.1%
|
-5.5%
|
| Gross Margin |
17.5%
|
13.0%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.9%
|
2.3%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.0%
|
41.5%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
0.65% |
| FCF Yield |
2.36%
|
2.88%
|
| 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…
Vistra Corp. is a vertically integrated independent power producer and retail electricity supplier operating roughly 38,700 megawatts of generation across natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery storage, serving about 4.3 million retail customers in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The business quality is mixed: the diversified PJM and ERCOT fleet plus retail load is a genuine struc…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
VST |
| Zone Low |
$838.12 |
$81.20 |
| Zone High |
$949.88 |
$92.03 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
No
|