Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or KR?

KR has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.51 and KR at 34.20. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, COST or KR?

Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus KR at 2.33%.

Does COST or KR pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.61% and KR yields 2.55% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is COST or KR more profitable?

COST runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus KR at 0.71%.

How have COST and KR total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.56% and KR delivered 8.24% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs The Kroger Co. (KR)

A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and The Kroger Co. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 11, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

COST

Costco Wholesale Corporation

$401.25B

$904.77Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

The Kroger Co.

$35.83B

$58.49Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — COST vs KR

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

COST +537.6% (+20.4%/yr)KR +123.8% (+8.4%/yr)COST compounded faster over this window

COST KR

COST vs KR: by the numbers

•COST is the larger company ($401.25B vs $35.83B market cap).
•KR trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (34.20 vs 45.51 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•COST converts more revenue to profit (3.01% vs 0.71% net margin).
•COST grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.48% vs 2.33% CAGR).
•KR pays the higher dividend yield (2.55% vs 0.61%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	COST	KR
P/E ratio	45.51	34.20
Forward P/E	39.92	11.26
P/S ratio	1.37	0.24
P/B ratio	11.97	5.54
EV / EBITDA	28.32	10.47
FCF yield	2.19%	8.05%

Profitability

Metric	COST	KR
Gross margin	12.88%	23.18%
Operating margin	3.82%	1.33%
Net margin	3.01%	0.71%
ROE	26.38%	16.27%
ROIC	19.01%	4.89%

Dividends

Metric	COST	KR
Dividend yield	0.61%	2.55%
Payout ratio	27.87%	84.21%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	KR
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%	2.33%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%	-13.96%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	-1.62%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.89%	6.39%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or KR?: KR has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.51 and KR at 34.20. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, COST or KR?: Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus KR at 2.33%.
Does COST or KR pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.61% and KR yields 2.55% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is COST or KR more profitable?: COST runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus KR at 0.71%.
How have COST and KR total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.56% and KR delivered 8.24% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full COST analysis Full KR analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Costco Wholesale P/E ratio Kroger P/E ratio Costco Wholesale dividend yield Kroger dividend yield Costco Wholesale ROE Kroger ROE Costco Wholesale operating margin Kroger operating margin Costco Wholesale revenue growth Kroger revenue growth Costco Wholesale free cash flow Kroger free cash flow

Costco Wholesale & Kroger appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 11, 2026.