Stocks / COST
COST stock forecast
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP · Consumer Defensive · Discount Stores
The model's rating
Greatly Underperform
COST is rated Greatly Underperform as of September 29, 2026: its medium-term return forecast is in the bottom fifth of the stocks the model scores.
Create a free account to compare any two stocks; the numeric score is part of Premium.
COST is not among the 20 largest holdings published for 2026 Q4. See the portfolio
COST against the S&P 500
| Period | COST | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | -3.6% | -0.3% |
| 3 months | -1.4% | +2.5% |
| Year to date | +6.0% | +12.7% |
| 1 year | -1.1% | +15.7% |
Total return, dividends included.
Key numbers
| Price | $910.34 |
| Market cap | 403.72 Billion |
| P/E (trailing 12 months) | 45.7 |
| P/S (trailing 12 months) | 1.4 |
| P/B (latest quarter) | 12.7 |
| Gross margin | 12.9% |
| Net profit margin | 3.0% |
| Return on equity | 28.3% |
| Beta | -0.1 |
As of June 3, 2026.
COST and its closest peers
| Stock | Company | Market cap | Model rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TGT | TARGET CORP | 71.18 Billion | Greatly Outperform | COST vs TGT |
| DG | DOLLAR GENERAL CORP | 26.38 Billion | Outperform | COST vs DG |
| DLTR | DOLLAR TREE INC | 21.39 Billion | Outperform | COST vs DLTR |
| WMT | WALMART INC | 824.47 Billion | Greatly Outperform | WMT vs COST |
Questions
What does the Upfront Investment model say about COST?
The model rates COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP (COST) "Greatly Underperform" as of September 29, 2026, which means its medium-term return forecast is in the bottom fifth of the stocks the model scores. The rating is a statistical forecast, not a recommendation to buy or sell.
How is the COST rating produced?
A machine-learning model forecasts each stock's return over the coming months and ranks the forecasts against each other. The label says where this stock's forecast falls in that ranking. It is refreshed whenever the model's data updates, normally every trading day.
Is COST in the Upfront Investment model portfolio?
COST is not among the 20 largest holdings published for 2026 Q4.
The rating is the output of a statistical model and can be wrong. It is not investment advice and takes no account of your circumstances. Past performance does not guarantee future results.