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COST vs. ORCL: Costco Wholesale vs. Oracle Stock Comparison

How do Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL) 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 Oracle (ORCL) belongs to Information Technology (Software & Services) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
Profile ItemCOSTORCL
NameCostco Wholesale CorpOracle Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailSoftware & Services
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailSoftware
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer Staples Merchandise RetailSystems Software
Market Capitalization466.86 billion USD361.97 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJuly 9, 1986March 12, 1986
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

COST
ORCL
GSPC
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL), 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 Oracle (ORCL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
Total Return (1Y)14.87%-49.72%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.84%3.11%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.92%6.07%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.30%59.45%
Beta (5Y)0.841.80
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.40%-64.58%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.15M33.24M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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COST and ORCL 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 Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.52-0.91
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.77-1.29

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% and Oracle (ORCL) at 41.19% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

41.19%

Max
53.85%
ORCL
41.19%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 26.36% 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%

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

26.36%

Max
41.17%
ORCL
26.36%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 35.63% 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%

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

35.63%

Max
46.89%
ORCL
35.63%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
ROE (TTM)28.40%41.19%
ROA (TTM)8.66%6.36%
Net Margin (TTM)3.04%26.36%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.79%35.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)12.77%63.96%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 10.14% and Oracle (ORCL) at 17.35% 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. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Oracle (ORCL) reports EPS growth of 34.33%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.14%17.35%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.76%10.48%
EPS Growth (YoY)--34.33%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--23.84%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.06 and Oracle (ORCL) at 1.17 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

1.17

Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
ORCL
1.17
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.28 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Oracle (ORCL) at 2.52 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

2.52

ORCL
2.52
Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
Min
0.00
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.061.17
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.282.52
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.783.84

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.52% pays an industry-typical yield; Oracle (ORCL) at 1.74% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

1.74%

ORCL
1.74%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 26.69% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Oracle (ORCL) at 31.35% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

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%

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

31.35%

ORCL
31.35%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.52%1.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.69%31.35%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 18.20 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 50.75 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

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

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

18.20

Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
ORCL
18.20
Min
6.69
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Oracle (ORCL) at 5.04 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.54 sits in the pricier quartile — COST costs more per dollar of sales.

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

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

5.04

Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
ORCL
5.04
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Oracle (ORCL) at 5.68 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.

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

ORCL

Software & Services industry group

5.68

Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
ORCL
5.68
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Oracle (ORCL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Software & Services industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Oracle (ORCL)
MetricCOSTORCL
P/E Ratio (TTM)50.7518.20
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.545.04
P/B Ratio (MRQ)13.045.68
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.45%-12.67%