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AAPL vs. COST: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated

Here’s a clear look at AAPL and COST, comparing key factors like performance, valuation metrics, dividends, and financial strength. It’s built for investors or anyone curious to see how these two stocks match up.

Company Overview

AAPL dominates in value with a market cap of 3,018.38 billion USD, eclipsing COST’s 454.91 billion USD by roughly 6.64×.

With betas of 1.27 for AAPL and 0.99 for COST, both show similar volatility profiles relative to the overall market.

SymbolAAPLCOST
Company NameApple Inc.Costco Wholesale Corporation
CountryUSUS
SectorTechnologyConsumer Defensive
IndustryConsumer ElectronicsDiscount Stores
CEOMr. Timothy D. CookMr. Ron M. Vachris
Price202.09 USD1,025.3 USD
Market Cap3,018.38 billion USD454.91 billion USD
Beta1.270.99
ExchangeNASDAQNASDAQ
IPO DateDecember 12, 1980July 9, 1986
ADRNoNo

Performance Comparison

This chart compares the performance of AAPL and COST over the past year by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each (starting one year ago).

Hover over the lines to see the investment’s value and total return (%) at specific dates.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

Valuation Metrics Comparison

For a detailed comparison of valuation metrics between AAPL and COST, please refer to the table below.

SymbolAAPLCOST
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)31.1459.73
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)2.855.78
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)7.541.72
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)45.3617.80
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)30.6565.69
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)22.2440.04
EV-to-Sales (TTM)7.711.71
EV-to-Free Cash Flow (TTM)31.3665.07

Dividend Comparison

Both AAPL and COST offer similar dividend yields (0.50% vs. 0.47%), indicating comparable approaches to balancing income and growth.

SymbolAAPLCOST
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.50%0.47%

Financial Strength Metrics Comparison

This section dives into the financial resilience of AAPL and COST, spotlighting key metrics like liquidity, leverage, and debt coverage. Check out the standout observations below where notable differences or extremes pop up.

  • With current ratios of 0.82 and 1.00, both AAPL and COST have less current assets than short-term liabilities, which could strain their working capital and force reliance on additional financing.
  • Both AAPL (quick ratio 0.78) and COST (quick ratio 0.49) fall below 0.8, meaning their most liquid assets—excluding inventory—aren’t enough to meet short-term obligations. This could force them to rely on receivables, inventory turn, or external financing.
  • AAPL shows “--” for interest coverage, hinting at negligible interest costs, whereas COST (at 573.59) covers its interest obligations.
SymbolAAPLCOST
Current Ratio (TTM)0.821.00
Quick Ratio (TTM)0.780.49
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)1.470.31
Debt-to-Assets Ratio (TTM)0.300.11
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)--573.59