COST vs EL
COST: A global membership-only warehouse operator that generates consistent growth by selling high-quality products at low margins to a loyal, renewing member base. EL: A global leader in prestige beauty, offering a diversified portfolio of high-end skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care brands.
Side-by-side fundamentals
| Metric | COST | EL | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price as of 2026-10-08 close | $947.92 | $94.32 | |
| Market cap | $420.1B | $34.1B | |
| P/E as of 2026-10-08 | 47.68 | n/a | |
| PEG as of 2026-10-08, 3-year EPS CAGR to FY2025 | 4.15 | n/a | |
| Net margin | +2.9% | +1.2% | COST higher |
| Gross margin FY2026, SEC XBRL | n/a | +75.5% | |
| Operating margin | +3.8% | +5.2% | EL higher |
| ROE | +27.8% | +4.8% | COST higher |
| ROA | +10.5% | +0.9% | COST higher |
| Debt / equity as of 2026-09-03 | 0.17 | 1.83 | COST lower |
| Revenue growth (YoY) as of 2026-09-03 | +9.2% | +0.3% | COST higher |
| Revenue CAGR (3y) SEC XBRL | +6.6% | -1.8% | COST higher |
| Dividend yield as of 2026-09-03 | +0.7% | +1.5% | EL higher |
| Dividend streak (yrs) SEC XBRL | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Beta as of 2026-09-03 | 0.34 | 1.37 | |
| 1-year return as of 2026-10-08 close | +3.6% | -1.5% | COST higher |
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date; "Edge" cells are a pure numeric comparison, not a recommendation.