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

MA has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 47.87 and MA at 31.93. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, COST or MA?

Over the past five years, MA grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus MA at 17.05%.

Does COST or MA pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.56% and MA yields 0.59% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is COST or MA more profitable?

MA runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus MA at 45.88%.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs Mastercard Incorporated (MA)

A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Mastercard Incorporated across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of July 28, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

Different business models: COST is classified in Consumer Defensive; MA is classified in Financial Services. Margin, capital intensity, and valuation differences should be interpreted in that sector context.

COST

Costco Wholesale Corporation

$428.66B

$966.58Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Jul 28, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Mastercard Incorporated

$497.23B

$562.75Financial ServicesDelayed quote: Jul 28, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — COST vs MA

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 20y

COST +2045.0%MA +12644.3%MA compounded faster

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

COST MA

COST vs MA: by the numbers

•MA is the larger company ($497.23B vs $428.66B market cap).
•MA trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (31.93 vs 47.87 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•MA converts more revenue to profit (45.88% vs 3.01% net margin).
•MA grew revenue faster over the past five years (17.05% vs 9.48% CAGR).
•MA pays the higher dividend yield (0.59% vs 0.56%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	COST	MA
P/E ratio	47.87	31.93
Forward P/E	46.33	28.09
P/S ratio	1.44	14.52
P/B ratio	12.62	73.29
PEG ratio	5.23	1.83
EV / EBITDA	29.89	N/A
FCF yield	2.08%	N/A

Profitability

Metric	COST	MA
Gross margin	12.88%	82.96%
Operating margin	3.82%	59.40%
Net margin	3.01%	45.88%
ROE	26.38%	231.63%
ROIC	19.44%	48.63%

Dividends

Metric	COST	MA
Dividend yield	0.56%	0.59%
Payout ratio	29.44%	19.70%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	MA
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%	17.05%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%	20.93%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	N/A
Total return CAGR (5Y)	18.31%	8.55%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or MA?: MA has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 47.87 and MA at 31.93. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, COST or MA?: Over the past five years, MA grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus MA at 17.05%.
Does COST or MA pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.56% and MA yields 0.59% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is COST or MA more profitable?: MA runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus MA at 45.88%.

Go deeper

Full COST analysis Full MA analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Costco Wholesale & Mastercard appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest Operating Margin 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 July 28, 2026.