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COST vs. XOM: Costco Wholesale vs. ExxonMobil Stock Comparison

How do Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM) 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 ExxonMobil (XOM) belongs to Energy (Energy) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
Profile ItemCOSTXOM
NameCostco Wholesale CorpExxonMobil Holdings Corporation
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorConsumer StaplesEnergy
GICS Industry GroupConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailEnergy
GICS IndustryConsumer Staples Distribution & RetailOil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
GICS Sub-IndustryConsumer Staples Merchandise RetailIntegrated Oil & Gas
Market Capitalization466.86 billion USD676.62 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJuly 9, 1986January 2, 1962
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

COST
XOM
GSPC
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM), 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 ExxonMobil (XOM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
Total Return (1Y)14.87%44.48%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.84%20.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.92%24.20%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)20.30%27.17%
Beta (5Y)0.840.19
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.40%-20.51%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.15M13.57M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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COST and XOM 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 ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.521.48
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.772.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% sits in the top ROE quartile, while ExxonMobil (XOM) at 15.53% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for COST.

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%

XOM

Energy industry group

15.53%

Max
53.85%
Q3
24.79%
XOM
15.53%
Median
12.85%
Q1
2.03%
Min
-29.09%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.04% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 10.46% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

XOM

Energy industry group

10.46%

Max
56.92%
Q3
22.92%
XOM
10.46%
Median
10.10%
Q1
0.07%
Min
-27.38%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.79% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 16.98% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

XOM

Energy industry group

16.98%

Max
71.31%
Q3
33.75%
Median
18.73%
XOM
16.98%
Q1
6.94%
Min
-24.52%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
ROE (TTM)28.40%15.53%
ROA (TTM)8.66%6.75%
Net Margin (TTM)3.04%10.46%
Operating Margin (TTM)3.79%16.98%
Gross Margin (TTM)12.77%29.81%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 10.14% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at -4.52% 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. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: ExxonMobil (XOM) reports EPS growth of -14.54%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
Revenue Growth (YoY)10.14%-4.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)7.76%-6.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)---14.54%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---20.35%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.06 and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 1.19 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

XOM

Energy industry group

1.19

Max
3.64
Q3
2.21
Median
1.41
XOM
1.19
Q1
0.88
Min
0.24
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.28 and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 0.13 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

0.13

Max
1.75
Q3
0.93
Median
0.54
Q1
0.30
XOM
0.13
Min
0.00
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.061.19
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.280.13
Net Debt / EBITDA-0.780.28

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.52% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 2.49% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

2.49%

Max
8.57%
Q3
3.58%
XOM
2.49%
Median
1.71%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 26.69% and ExxonMobil (XOM) at 42.39% 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%

XOM

Energy industry group

42.39%

Max
133.24%
Q3
53.31%
XOM
42.39%
Median
25.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.52%2.49%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)26.69%42.39%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 17.06 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.

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

XOM

Energy industry group

17.06

Max
39.54
Q3
21.72
XOM
17.06
Median
12.19
Q1
7.71
Min
2.99
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

ExxonMobil (XOM) at 1.74 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

XOM

Energy industry group

1.74

Max
5.40
Q3
2.85
XOM
1.74
Median
1.69
Q1
0.88
Min
0.00
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: ExxonMobil (XOM) at 2.55 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Costco Wholesale (COST) at 13.04 prices even higher, above its industry 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

XOM

Energy industry group

2.55

Max
4.21
XOM
2.55
Q3
2.38
Median
1.51
Q1
1.08
Min
0.01
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Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. ExxonMobil (XOM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail and Energy industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and ExxonMobil (XOM)
MetricCOSTXOM
P/E Ratio (TTM)50.7517.06
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.541.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)13.042.55
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.45%4.19%