Latest Ratios: P/E Ratio 52.2x · EV/EBITDA 32.4x · ROE 30.7%. (1996–2025 historical series)
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $421.4B | $419.6B | $396.9B | $241.9B | $236.5B | $200.1B | $154.6B | $130.6B | $103.0B | $69.1B | $71.5B |
| Enterprise Value | $415.4B | $413.6B | $395.3B | $237.1B | $235.4B | $199.0B | $152.5B | $129.0B | $103.5B | $71.2B | $73.3B |
| P/E Ratio → | 52.18 | 51.80 | 53.89 | 38.44 | 40.47 | 39.96 | 38.62 | 35.69 | 32.88 | 25.78 | 30.41 |
| P/S Ratio | 1.53 | 1.52 | 1.56 | 1.00 | 1.04 | 1.02 | 0.93 | 0.85 | 0.73 | 0.54 | 0.60 |
| P/B Ratio | 14.49 | 14.39 | 16.80 | 9.65 | 11.46 | 11.07 | 8.27 | 8.38 | 7.86 | 6.24 | 5.80 |
| P/FCF | 53.77 | 53.54 | 59.87 | 35.86 | 67.56 | 37.26 | 25.56 | 38.88 | 36.72 | 16.36 | 111.24 |
| P/OCF | 31.60 | 31.47 | 35.00 | 21.86 | 32.00 | 22.34 | 17.45 | 20.54 | 17.84 | 10.28 | 21.73 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 1.50 | 1.55 | 0.98 | 1.04 | 1.02 | 0.91 | 0.84 | 0.73 | 0.55 | 0.62 |
| EV / EBITDA | 32.43 | 32.29 | 34.30 | 23.26 | 24.28 | 23.44 | 21.54 | 20.71 | 17.50 | 12.99 | 14.88 |
| EV / EBIT | 40.01 | 37.70 | 39.89 | 27.42 | 29.43 | 29.04 | 27.58 | 26.25 | 22.50 | 17.07 | 19.54 |
| EV / FCF | — | 52.78 | 59.63 | 35.15 | 67.23 | 37.05 | 25.21 | 38.41 | 36.91 | 16.86 | 114.01 |
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 12.8% | 12.8% | 12.6% | 12.3% | 12.1% | 12.9% | 13.1% | 13.0% | 13.0% | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Operating Margin | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.1% |
| Net Profit Margin | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 2.0% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 30.7% | 30.7% | 30.3% | 27.5% | 30.2% | 27.2% | 23.3% | 25.5% | 25.9% | 22.9% | 20.3% |
| ROA | 11.0% | 11.0% | 10.6% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 8.7% | 7.9% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| ROIC | 34.5% | 34.5% | 33.0% | 30.6% | 32.1% | 30.0% | 26.6% | 25.7% | 25.1% | 22.6% | 21.0% |
| ROCE | 27.9% | 27.9% | 26.6% | 24.0% | 25.1% | 22.2% | 20.6% | 22.0% | 22.5% | 22.6% | 21.6% |
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.28 | 0.28 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.44 | 0.56 | 0.54 | 0.44 | 0.50 | 0.60 | 0.42 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 0.64 | 0.64 | 0.72 | 0.87 | 0.93 | 1.19 | 1.44 | 1.10 | 1.11 | 1.21 | 1.05 |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | -0.21 | -0.07 | -0.19 | -0.06 | -0.06 | -0.11 | -0.10 | 0.04 | 0.19 | 0.14 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -0.47 | -0.47 | -0.14 | -0.47 | -0.12 | -0.13 | -0.30 | -0.25 | 0.09 | 0.39 | 0.36 |
| Debt / FCF | — | -0.76 | -0.25 | -0.71 | -0.33 | -0.21 | -0.35 | -0.46 | 0.19 | 0.50 | 2.77 |
| Interest Coverage | 71.25 | 71.25 | 58.63 | 54.04 | 50.62 | 40.06 | 33.73 | 32.77 | 28.94 | 31.14 | 28.21 |
Net cash position: cash ($14.2B) exceeds total debt ($8.2B)
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.03 | 1.03 | 0.97 | 1.07 | 1.02 | 1.00 | 1.13 | 1.01 | 1.02 | 0.99 | 0.98 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.44 | 0.57 | 0.46 | 0.52 | 0.64 | 0.52 | 0.46 | 0.43 | 0.40 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.41 | 0.41 | 0.31 | 0.45 | 0.35 | 0.41 | 0.54 | 0.41 | 0.36 | 0.33 | 0.30 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 3.57 | 3.64 | 3.51 | 3.54 | 3.31 | 3.00 | 3.36 | 3.47 | 3.55 | 3.58 |
| Inventory Turnover | 13.24 | 13.24 | 11.92 | 12.77 | 11.13 | 12.01 | 11.84 | 11.66 | 11.16 | 11.38 | 11.47 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 4.25 | 3.90 | 3.44 | 3.60 | 3.36 | 3.39 | 3.67 | 4.30 | 4.05 | 3.85 |
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 0.5% | 0.5% | 2.3% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2.9% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 5.6% | 1.0% |
| Payout Ratio | 27.0% | 27.0% | 122.7% | 19.9% | 25.6% | 114.8% | 37.0% | 28.4% | 22.0% | 145.7% | 31.7% |
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 3.9% | 3.3% |
| FCF Yield | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 6.1% | 0.9% |
| Buyback Yield | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2.5% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 3.1% | 1.1% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 6.3% | 1.7% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $445M | $445M | $444M | $445M | $444M | $444M | $443M | $442M | $441M | $441M |
Premium valuation multiple compression
Based on current market data, COST trades at a forward P/E of 46.40, a significant premium to peers like BJ's Wholesale Club, which suggests investors are pricing in the exceptional earnings visibility and defensive moat provided by the company's high-retention, subscription-like membership revenue model.
The elevated P/E ratio implies that the market views Costco more as a high-quality subscription utility than a traditional retail merchant. While this valuation is justified by consistent renewal rates, it leaves little room for error should membership growth decelerate or if the company's cost-plus pricing strategy faces unexpected inflationary pressure.
As reported in recent financial statements, COST has maintained an ROIC trend between 7.6% and 11.2% over the last ten quarters, demonstrating that the company's ability to compound capital is fundamentally tied to its rapid inventory turnover rather than high-margin product markups.
The company's ROIC performance is impressive given its structural 14-15% gross margin cap, indicating that management excels at maximizing the utility of every dollar invested in warehouse infrastructure. Investors should monitor whether international expansion efforts, which typically carry higher initial capital requirements, begin to dilute these returns over the medium term.
According to quarterly data, COST maintains a highly efficient cash conversion cycle, often hovering near 1 to 3 days, which highlights the company's structural advantage in collecting cash from members long before it is required to settle outstanding obligations with its merchandise suppliers.
This negative working capital dynamic effectively provides the company with an interest-free source of financing for its operations and expansion. The stability of these metrics suggests that the company's procurement leverage remains intact, allowing it to maintain its price leadership without sacrificing liquidity.
Based on the provided balance sheet figures, COST has successfully reduced its debt-to-equity ratio from 0.45 in 2024Q2 to 0.24 in 2026Q3, signaling a commitment to a fortress-like balance sheet that provides substantial insulation against interest rate volatility and potential macroeconomic downturns.
With interest coverage ratios consistently exceeding 50x, the company faces virtually no risk regarding its debt service obligations. This financial conservatism allows management to prioritize long-term strategic investments and opportunistic capital returns, such as special dividends, without the constraints typically faced by more leveraged retail competitors.
The most commonly misapplied metric for this business model is the traditional operating margin, which, at 3.77%, obscures the fact that the company's true earning power is derived from high-margin membership fees rather than the low-margin merchandise sales that dominate the headline revenue figures.
Analysts focusing solely on operating margins may incorrectly conclude that the business is fragile or lacks pricing power. A more accurate assessment requires a sum-of-the-parts approach that separates the low-margin retail operations from the high-margin, recurring membership revenue stream, which acts as the primary engine for bottom-line growth.
Includes 30+ ratios · 30 years · Updated daily
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Quick answers to the most common questions about buying COST stock.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's current P/E ratio is 52.2x. The historical average is 29.0x. This places it at the 97th percentile of its historical range.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's current EV/EBITDA is 32.4x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 15.0x.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's return on equity (ROE) is 30.7%. This is above the typical threshold of 15-20% considered good for most companies. The historical average is 18.1%.
Based on historical data, Costco Wholesale Corporation is trading at a P/E of 52.2x. This is at the 97th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's current dividend yield is 0.52% with a payout ratio of 27.0%.
Costco Wholesale Corporation has 12.8% gross margin and 3.8% operating margin.
Costco Wholesale Corporation's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 0.6x, indicating low leverage. A ratio below 2x is generally considered financially healthy.