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COST vs. MA: Costco Wholesale vs. Mastercard Stock Comparison

How do Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA) 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

Costco Wholesale (COST) is classified in the Consumer Staples sector (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail), whereas Mastercard (MA) belongs to Financials (Financial Services) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
Profile ItemCOSTMA
NameCostco Wholesale CorpMastercard Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesFinancials
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailFinancial Services
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer Staples Merchandise RetailTransaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization466.86 billion USD568.62 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJuly 9, 1986May 25, 2006
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

COST
MA
GSPC
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA), 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 Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
Total Return (1Y)14.87%20.00%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.84%19.98%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.92%14.49%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

COST
MA
GSPC
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA), 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 Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.30%23.57%
Beta (5Y)0.840.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.40%-28.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.15M2.98M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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COST and MA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.520.67
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.771.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Mastercard (MA) at 231.37% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% also sits in the top quartile.

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%

MA

Financial Services industry group

231.37%

MA
231.37%
Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 46.73% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.04%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

MA

Financial Services industry group

46.73%

Max
62.84%
MA
46.73%
Q3
28.05%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 60.53% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.79%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

MA

Financial Services industry group

60.53%

Max
107.33%
MA
60.53%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
ROE (TTM)28.40%231.37%
ROA (TTM)8.66%24.45%
Net Margin (TTM)3.04%46.73%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.79%60.53%
Gross Margin (TTM)12.77%--

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 10.14% and Mastercard (MA) at 16.42% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Mastercard (MA) reports EPS growth of 18.93%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.14%16.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.76%13.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)--18.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--17.36%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) shows current ratio of 1.06; Mastercard (MA) doesn’t get one — Financial Services balance sheets aren’t split into current and non-current buckets, so short-term liquidity there is judged through regulatory measures instead.

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

MA

Financial Services industry group

--

MA
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): MA’s current ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for COST only.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28; for Mastercard (MA) the ratio is set aside — in Financial Services, balance-sheet leverage is part of the business model itself, so capital-adequacy measures do the job this ratio does elsewhere.

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

MA

Financial Services industry group

--

MA
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): MA’s debt-to-equity ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for COST only.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.06--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.28--
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.78--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.52% and Mastercard (MA) at 0.53% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

MA

Financial Services industry group

0.53%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
MA
0.53%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 26.69% and Mastercard (MA) at 17.63% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

MA

Financial Services industry group

17.63%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
MA
17.63%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.52%0.53%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.69%17.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 50.75 and Mastercard (MA) at 34.15 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

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

MA

Financial Services industry group

34.15

Max
45.85
MA
34.15
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.54 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Mastercard (MA) at 15.67 prices even higher, above its industry range.

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

MA

Financial Services industry group

15.67

MA
15.67
Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 13.04 and Mastercard (MA) at 84.30 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

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

MA

Financial Services industry group

84.30

MA
84.30
Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricCOSTMA
P/E Ratio (TTM)50.7534.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.5415.67
P/B Ratio (MRQ)13.0484.30
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.45%--