COST vs WFC: Which Is the Better Buy?
Side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Wells Fargo & Company — 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
Wells Fargo & Company · Financial Services
$86.12
+20.4% upside to fair value
Med Conviction
Grade B
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 |
WFC |
| Current Price |
$896.48 |
$86.12 |
| Fair Value Estimate |
$1,117.50 |
$103.68 |
| Upside to Fair Value |
+24.7%
|
+20.4%
|
| Market Cap |
$397.6B |
$260.4B |
| Forward P/E |
—
|
—
|
| EV / EBITDA |
32.7x
|
15.6x
|
| Price / Sales |
1.3x
|
2.0x
|
| Price / FCF |
42.4x
|
13.7x
|
| Revenue Growth YoY |
+11.1%
|
+11.3%
|
| Gross Margin |
17.5%
|
64.5%
|
| Operating Margin |
3.9%
|
21.2%
|
| Return on Equity |
28.0%
|
12.6%
|
| Dividend Yield |
0.62% |
2.15% |
| FCF Yield |
2.36%
|
7.3%
|
| Analyst Consensus |
Strong Buy
|
Hold
|
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…
Wells Fargo is a diversified U.S. bank with roughly 197,000 employees operating four segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management. The business quality is solid but not exceptional: trailing return on equity is 12.6%, TTM net margin is 17.5%, and revenue grew 11.3% year over year in the most recent quarter while…
Accumulation Zones
| Metric |
COST |
WFC |
| Zone Low |
$838.12 |
$77.76 |
| Zone High |
$949.88 |
$88.13 |
| In Buy Zone? |
Yes
|
Yes
|