Costco Wholesale or Walmart: which stock is cheaper in 2026?
As of October 5, 2026, Costco Wholesale (COST) trades at 33.4× earnings (P/E) and Walmart (WMT) at 37.6×, according to Kaplio. The median across the 96 consumer staples companies above $2bn in Kaplio's universe is 20.6×. Kaplio's verdict: Costco Wholesale, fairly priced; Walmart, expensive. Value range by multiples: $567–$1,076 for Costco Wholesale and $57–$82 for Walmart. Against its own value range, Costco Wholesale is the cheaper of the two today.
According to the Kaplio Summary
The same verdict as each company's page: price range by multiples, the four lights, the expected return if consensus is right and what Buffett and Lynch would say today.
| Costco Wholesale (COST) | Walmart (WMT) | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary valuation | fairly priced ($567–$1,076) | expensive ($57–$82) |
| The four lights | Valuation: P/E 33.4× (fairly priced) Business: ROIC 19 % (solid) Balance sheet: Net debt/EBITDA −0.3× (solid) Results: 6 of 8 (on track) | Valuation: P/E 37.6× (expensive) Business: ROIC 13 % (fair) Balance sheet: Net debt/EBITDA 1.2× (solid) Results: 7 of 8 (on track) |
| Expected return (per year) | +0.4 % a year (to 2029) | +1.9 % a year (to 2029) |
| Buffett method | quality 93 · would wait | quality 88 · would wait |
| Lynch method | stalwart · would wait | stalwart · would wait |
Metrics side by side
| Metric | Costco Wholesale (COST) | Walmart (WMT) |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Market Cap | $408B | $830B |
| Price | $920.65 | $104.26 |
| Valuation | ||
| P/E | 33.4× | 37.6× |
| P/B | 11.4× | 8.5× |
| P/S | 1.3× | 1.1× |
| EV/EBITDA | 27.7× | 20.9× |
| FCF Yield | 2.3 % | 1.6 % |
| Dividend Yield | 0.6 % | 0.9 % |
| Profitability | ||
| ROIC | 19.0 % | 13.0 % |
| ROE | 28.0 % | 22.7 % |
| Gross Margin | 12.8 % | 25.2 % |
| Operating Margin | 3.9 % | 4.4 % |
| Net Margin | 3.0 % | 3.0 % |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue 5Y CAGR | 9.1 % | 5.0 % |
| EPS 5Y CAGR | 13.0 % | 10.9 % |
| FCF 5Y CAGR | 11.8 % | -10.4 % |
| Balance Sheet | ||
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -0.3× | 1.2× |
| Debt / Equity | 0.2× | 0.8× |
Trailing twelve months where available; otherwise the latest fiscal year. Growth: five-year compound annual rate.