Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL)
POWL leads on 9 of 16 compared metrics, though COST is the cheaper stock.
A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Powell Industries, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 14, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).
COST
Costco Wholesale Corporation
$982.35Consumer Defensive
POWL
Powell Industries, Inc.
$294.75Industrials
Not enough overlapping price history to compare COST and POWL.
COST vs POWL: by the numbers
- •COST is the larger company ($435.65B vs $10.74B market cap).
- •COST trades at the lower earnings multiple (49.41 vs 57.61 P/E).
- •POWL converts more revenue to profit (16.51% vs 3.01% net margin).
- •POWL grew revenue faster over the past five years (19.84% vs 9.48% CAGR).
- •COST pays the higher dividend yield (0.55% vs 0.12%).
Which is better, COST or POWL?
Metric tally: COST 7 · POWL 9It depends on what you're optimizing for:
ValueCOST(lower P/E)
GrowthPOWL(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)
IncomeCOST(higher dividend yield)
QualityPOWL(higher ROIC)
Valuation
| Metric | COST | POWL |
|---|---|---|
| P/E ratio | 49.41● | 57.61 |
| Forward P/E | 43.40● | 44.88 |
| P/S ratio | 1.49● | 9.51 |
| P/B ratio | 13.03● | 15.19 |
| PEG ratio | 5.23 | 1.03● |
| EV / EBITDA | 29.43● | 41.17 |
| FCF yield | 2.02%● | 1.79% |
Profitability
| Metric | COST | POWL |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 12.88% | 30.10%● |
| Operating margin | 3.82% | 19.76%● |
| Net margin | 3.01% | 16.51%● |
| ROE | 26.38% | 26.36% |
| ROIC | 19.44% | 25.41%● |
Dividends
| Metric | COST | POWL |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend yield | 0.55%● | 0.12% |
| Payout ratio | 29.44% | 7.18% |
Growth (annualized)
| Metric | COST | POWL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue CAGR (5Y) | 9.48% | 19.84%● |
| EPS CAGR (5Y) | 15.04% | 59.98%● |
| FCF CAGR (5Y) | 4.95% | 34.56%● |
| Total return CAGR (5Y) | 21.56% | 99.30%● |
Frequently asked
- Which is better, COST or POWL?
- It depends on your goal. value: COST (lower P/E); growth: POWL (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: COST (higher dividend yield); quality: POWL (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, POWL leads 9 to 7.
- Is COST or POWL cheaper?
- On trailing earnings, COST is cheaper: COST trades at a 49.41 P/E and POWL at 57.61.
- Which has grown faster, COST or POWL?
- Over the past five years, POWL grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus POWL at 19.84%.
- Does COST or POWL pay a bigger dividend?
- COST yields 0.55% and POWL yields 0.12% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
- Is COST or POWL more profitable?
- POWL runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus POWL at 16.51%.
- Which has been the better investment, COST or POWL?
- Over the past 10-year, POWL delivered the higher annualized total return — COST at 21.26% versus POWL at 47.08%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.
Go deeper
Dig into the metrics
Costco Wholesale P/E ratioPowell Industries P/E ratioCostco Wholesale dividend yieldPowell Industries dividend yieldCostco Wholesale ROEPowell Industries ROECostco Wholesale operating marginPowell Industries operating marginCostco Wholesale revenue growthPowell Industries revenue growthCostco Wholesale free cash flowPowell Industries free cash flow
Costco Wholesale & Powell Industries appear in these rankings
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 June 14, 2026.