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

PEP has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.51 and PEP at 17.87. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, COST or PEP?

Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus PEP at 5.37%.

Does COST or PEP pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.61% and PEP yields 4.25% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is COST or PEP more profitable?

PEP runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus PEP at 10.82%.

How have COST and PEP total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.56% and PEP delivered 6.00% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP)

A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and PepsiCo, Inc. 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

PEP

PepsiCo, Inc.

$186.21B

$136.32Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — COST vs PEP

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

COST +537.6% (+20.4%/yr)PEP +78.1% (+5.9%/yr)COST compounded faster over this window

COST PEP

COST vs PEP: by the numbers

•COST is the larger company ($401.25B vs $186.21B market cap).
•PEP trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (17.87 vs 45.51 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•PEP converts more revenue to profit (10.82% vs 3.01% net margin).
•COST grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.48% vs 5.37% CAGR).
•PEP pays the higher dividend yield (4.25% vs 0.61%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	COST	PEP
P/E ratio	45.51	17.87
Forward P/E	39.92	15.94
P/S ratio	1.37	1.92
P/B ratio	11.97	8.43
EV / EBITDA	28.32	12.16
FCF yield	2.19%	4.98%

Profitability

Metric	COST	PEP
Gross margin	12.88%	53.96%
Operating margin	3.82%	14.96%
Net margin	3.01%	10.82%
ROE	26.38%	47.45%
ROIC	19.01%	13.22%

Dividends

Metric	COST	PEP
Dividend yield	0.61%	4.25%
Payout ratio	27.87%	76.08%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	PEP
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%	5.37%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%	3.25%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	5.40%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.89%	0.63%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or PEP?: PEP has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.51 and PEP at 17.87. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, COST or PEP?: Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus PEP at 5.37%.
Does COST or PEP pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.61% and PEP yields 4.25% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is COST or PEP more profitable?: PEP runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus PEP at 10.82%.
How have COST and PEP total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.56% and PEP delivered 6.00% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full COST analysis Full PEP analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Costco Wholesale & PepsiCo appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks 25+ Year Dividend Growers Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC 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.