COST vs. SKHY: Costco Wholesale vs. SK hynix Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Costco Wholesale (COST) is classified in the Consumer Staples sector (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail), whereas SK hynix (SKHY) belongs to Information Technology (Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Costco Wholesale (COST) has been public since July 9, 1986, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while SK hynix (SKHY) listed only on July 10, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Costco Wholesale (COST) trades as ordinary local shares, while SK hynix (SKHY) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

SK hynix (SKHY) carries a highly aggressive beta of 5.36, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Costco Wholesale (COST) is closer to market-like at 0.84 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both COST and SKHY need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both companies show strong equity returns, but SK hynix (SKHY) at 92.54% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% also sits in the top quartile.

SK hynix (SKHY) at 70.27% 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.

SK hynix (SKHY) at 79.66% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.79% operates around its industry’s norm.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

SK hynix (SKHY) at 46.76% 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 SKHY.

Only one side can be read here: SK hynix (SKHY) reports EPS growth of 112.46%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.06 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while SK hynix (SKHY) at 26.88 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.28 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while SK hynix (SKHY) at 0.05 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.52% pays an industry-typical yield; SK hynix (SKHY) at 2,118.64% 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.

SK hynix (SKHY) 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.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

SK hynix (SKHY) at 8.12 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.

SK hynix (SKHY) at 0.00 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.54 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

SK hynix (SKHY) at 3.95 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.

Valuation Metrics