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CART vs. COST: Maplebear vs. Costco Wholesale Stock Comparison

How do Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST) both belong to the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry, though CART is classified under Food Retail while COST falls under Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail.

Costco Wholesale (COST) has more than two decades of public-market history since July 9, 1986, whereas Maplebear (CART) listed on September 19, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
Profile ItemCARTCOST
NameMaplebear Inc. Common StockCostco Wholesale Corp
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryFood RetailConsumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization13.75 billion USD466.86 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateSeptember 19, 2023July 9, 1986
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CART
COST
GSPC
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
Total Return (1Y)59.29%14.87%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)33.73%24.84%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)--16.92%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CART
COST
GSPC
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.37%20.30%
Beta (5Y)0.660.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)-38.04%-31.40%
Avg. Volume (3M)5.21M2.15M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CART and COST are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.270.52
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.990.77

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Maplebear (CART) at 15.57% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for COST.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

15.57%

Max
33.48%
Q3
22.31%
CART
15.57%
Median
15.57%
Q1
7.66%
Min
-2.27%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

28.40%

Max
33.48%
COST
28.40%
Q3
22.31%
Median
15.57%
Q1
7.66%
Min
-2.27%
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Maplebear (CART) at 11.67% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.04% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

11.67%

CART
11.67%
Max
5.45%
Q3
3.42%
Median
2.44%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-0.06%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.04%

Max
5.45%
Q3
3.42%
COST
3.04%
Median
2.44%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-0.06%
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Maplebear (CART) at 15.98% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.79% operates around its industry’s norm.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

15.98%

CART
15.98%
Max
6.81%
Q3
5.49%
Median
3.84%
Q1
2.00%
Min
0.97%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.79%

Max
6.81%
Q3
5.49%
Median
3.84%
COST
3.79%
Q1
2.00%
Min
0.97%
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
ROE (TTM)15.57%28.40%
ROA (TTM)9.29%8.66%
Net Margin (TTM)11.67%3.04%
Operating Margin (TTM)15.98%3.79%
Gross Margin (TTM)72.11%12.77%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Maplebear (CART) at 10.78% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 10.14% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for CART.

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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Maplebear (CART) reports EPS growth of 1.27%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.78%10.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)13.62%7.76%
EPS Growth (YoY)1.27%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)79.10%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.06 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Maplebear (CART) at 2.34 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

2.34

CART
2.34
Max
2.04
Q3
1.45
Median
1.17
Q1
1.00
Min
0.69

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.06

Max
2.04
Q3
1.45
Median
1.17
COST
1.06
Q1
1.00
Min
0.69
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Maplebear (CART) at 0.01 and Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.28 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.01

Max
2.59
Q3
1.83
Median
1.24
Q1
0.63
CART
0.01
Min
0.01

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.28

Max
2.59
Q3
1.83
Median
1.24
Q1
0.63
COST
0.28
Min
0.01
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.341.06
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.010.28
Net Debt / EBITDA-1.41-0.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Maplebear (CART) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Costco Wholesale (COST) reports a yield of 0.52%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
2.90%
Q3
1.72%
Median
0.43%
CART
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.52%

Max
2.90%
Q3
1.72%
COST
0.52%
Median
0.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Maplebear (CART) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Costco Wholesale (COST) reports a payout of 26.69%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.00%

Max
57.98%
Q3
30.05%
Median
11.72%
CART
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

26.69%

Max
57.98%
Q3
30.05%
COST
26.69%
Median
11.72%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%26.69%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Maplebear (CART) at 30.43 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 50.75 sits in the richer quartile — COST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

30.43

Max
50.75
Q3
33.64
CART
30.43
Median
22.19
Q1
16.09
Min
9.28

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

50.75

COST
50.75
Max
50.75
Q3
33.64
Median
22.19
Q1
16.09
Min
9.28
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.54 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Maplebear (CART) at 3.31 prices even higher, above its industry range.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.31

CART
3.31
Max
1.54
Q3
0.81
Median
0.47
Q1
0.26
Min
0.02

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.54

COST
1.54
Max
1.54
Q3
0.81
Median
0.47
Q1
0.26
Min
0.02
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Maplebear (CART) at 5.37 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 13.04 prices above its benchmark range — COST looks rich relative to book.

CART

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

5.37

Max
10.15
Q3
6.27
CART
5.37
Median
3.70
Q1
1.85
Min
0.93

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

13.04

COST
13.04
Max
10.15
Q3
6.27
Median
3.70
Q1
1.85
Min
0.93
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Maplebear (CART) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Maplebear (CART) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricCARTCOST
P/E Ratio (TTM)30.4350.75
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.311.54
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.3713.04
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)7.36%1.45%