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Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO)

This page compares Costco (COST) with Coca-Cola (KO) using historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation metrics.

Company Profile

Costco (COST) and Coca-Cola (KO) share the Consumer Staples sector but sit in different industry groups — COST in Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and KO in Food, Beverage & Tobacco.

SymbolCOSTKO
Company NameCostco Wholesale CorporationThe Coca-Cola Company
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailFood, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailBeverages
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer Staples Merchandise RetailSoft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization466.03 billion USD349.23 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqGSNYSE
Listing DateJuly 9, 1986January 2, 1962
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Historical Performance

COST
KO
Loading price history…
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Historical Performance at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
5-Day Price Return0.14%0.43%
13-Week Price Return6.34%2.86%
26-Week Price Return13.55%14.21%
52-Week Price Return2.45%12.97%
Month-to-Date Return3.54%3.06%
Year-to-Date Return21.81%16.11%
10-Day Avg. Volume2.08M14.55M
3-Month Avg. Volume2.02M16.70M
3-Month Volatility18.93%16.44%
Beta0.920.37

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Both Costco (COST) at 28.81% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 43.62% rank in the top quartile for Return on Equity (TTM) among industry peers, indicating strong returns on shareholders’ equity.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

28.81%

Max
36.06%
Q3
22.26%
Median
14.31%
Q1
8.17%
Min
-4.97%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

43.62%

Max
43.89%
Q3
22.49%
Median
11.74%
Q1
4.10%
Min
-21.55%
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Return on Equity (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 27.80% ranks in the top quartile for Net Profit Margin (TTM), ahead of Costco (COST) at 2.99%, which sits closer to the industry mid-range.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

2.99%

Max
6.61%
Q3
3.54%
Median
2.37%
Q1
1.17%
Min
-0.25%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

27.80%

Max
27.80%
Q3
12.39%
Median
5.93%
Q1
1.61%
Min
-14.07%
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Net Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 30.01% ranks in the top quartile for Operating Profit Margin (TTM), ahead of Costco (COST) at 3.82%, which sits closer to the industry mid-range.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.82%

Max
8.84%
Q3
4.77%
Median
3.65%
Q1
1.28%
Min
-1.18%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

30.01%

Max
30.01%
Q3
15.34%
Median
8.52%
Q1
3.58%
Min
-9.05%
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Operating Profit Margin (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
Return on Equity (TTM)28.81%43.62%
Return on Assets (TTM)10.72%13.07%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)2.99%27.80%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)3.82%30.01%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)12.93%61.74%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Costco (COST) at 1.06 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.36 carry Current Ratio (MRQ) within their industry mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.06

Max
1.93
Q3
1.37
Median
1.14
Q1
0.93
Min
0.60

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.36

Max
4.41
Q3
2.60
Median
1.55
Q1
1.01
Min
0.45
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Current Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Both Costco (COST) at 0.18 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.31 post Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) near their industry mid-ranges, so neither company stands out strongly from peers on leverage.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.18

Max
2.56
Q3
1.23
Median
0.54
Q1
0.18
Min
0.00

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.31

Max
2.65
Q3
1.32
Median
0.77
Q1
0.33
Min
0.00
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)

Both Costco (COST) at 91.27 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 67.13 post Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) above their industry benchmark ranges, indicating wide cushions to cover interest expense from operating income or EBIT.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

91.27

Max
20.24
Q3
20.10
Median
9.06
Q1
3.31
Min
-8.07

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

67.13

Max
33.34
Q3
18.06
Median
6.63
Q1
2.93
Min
-11.45
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.061.36
Quick Ratio (MRQ)0.591.01
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)0.181.31
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)91.2767.13

Growth

Revenue Growth

Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
Revenue Growth (MRQ vs Prior YoY)9.22%12.07%
Revenue Growth (TTM vs Prior YoY)8.40%5.11%
3-Year Revenue CAGR6.64%3.69%
5-Year Revenue CAGR10.54%7.75%

EPS Growth

Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
EPS Growth (MRQ vs Prior YoY)13.93%17.81%
EPS Growth (TTM vs Prior YoY)12.26%27.18%
3-Year EPS CAGR11.51%11.48%
5-Year EPS CAGR15.10%11.14%

Dividend

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Costco (COST) at 0.61% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 3.14% report Dividend Yield (TTM) near their industry mid-ranges, so neither company stands out strongly from peers on cash yield relative to share price.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.61%

Max
4.01%
Q3
1.95%
Median
0.76%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.14%

Max
10.52%
Q3
4.54%
Median
3.03%
Q1
0.49%
Min
0.00%
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Dividend Yield (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Costco (COST) at 33.01% and Coca-Cola (KO) at 80.07% maintain Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) around their industries’ median — balanced dividend policy on both sides, returning cash while leaving part of reported earnings available for reinvestment or balance-sheet flexibility.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

33.01%

Max
59.68%
Q3
34.35%
Median
20.99%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

80.07%

Max
195.44%
Q3
88.50%
Median
60.35%
Q1
14.76%
Min
0.00%
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.61%3.14%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)33.01%80.07%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 25.51 carries typical industry Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM), while Costco (COST) at 54.03 sits in the higher-multiple quartile — COST carries a higher trailing earnings multiple relative to peers.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

54.03

Max
54.03
Q3
39.03
Median
20.43
Q1
15.85
Min
12.19

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

25.51

Max
43.72
Q3
27.60
Median
18.51
Q1
12.63
Min
1.67
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Costco (COST) at 1.61 sits in the higher-multiple quartile for Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM), but Coca-Cola (KO) at 7.09 is higher still, above its industry benchmark range — both carry elevated trailing revenue multiples relative to peers, with KO higher.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.61

Max
1.76
Q3
0.91
Median
0.52
Q1
0.29
Min
0.10

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

7.09

Max
5.24
Q3
2.62
Median
1.12
Q1
0.62
Min
0.15
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Both Costco (COST) at 14.09 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 9.81 sit above their industries’ benchmark ranges for Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ), pointing to unusually high book-value multiples relative to peers.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

14.09

Max
9.93
Q3
5.88
Median
3.71
Q1
1.93
Min
0.79

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

9.81

Max
6.13
Q3
3.53
Median
2.25
Q1
1.25
Min
0.63
Costco (COST) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ) against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

SymbolCOSTKO
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)54.0325.51
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)1.617.09
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)14.099.81
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (TTM)50.7627.83