Is COST or QCOM cheaper?

On trailing earnings, QCOM is cheaper: COST trades at a 49.41 P/E and QCOM at 22.72.

Which has grown faster, COST or QCOM?

Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus QCOM at 8.63%.

Does COST or QCOM pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.55% and QCOM yields 1.70% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is COST or QCOM more profitable?

QCOM runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus QCOM at 22.31%.

Which has been the better investment, COST or QCOM?

Over the past 10-year, COST delivered the higher annualized total return — COST at 21.26% versus QCOM at 17.83%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs QUALCOMM Incorporated (QCOM)

QCOM leads on 12 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and QUALCOMM Incorporated 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

$435.65B

$982.35Consumer Defensive

QCOM

QUALCOMM Incorporated

$223.15B

$211.72Technology

Total return — COST vs QCOM

growth of $100 · last 30y

COST +9597.4%QCOM +7028.6%COST compounded faster

COST QCOM

COST vs QCOM: by the numbers

•COST is the larger company ($435.65B vs $223.15B market cap).
•QCOM trades at the lower earnings multiple (22.72 vs 49.41 P/E).
•QCOM converts more revenue to profit (22.31% vs 3.01% net margin).
•COST grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.48% vs 8.63% CAGR).
•QCOM pays the higher dividend yield (1.70% vs 0.55%).

Which is better, COST or QCOM?

Metric tally: COST 5 · QCOM 12

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueQCOM(lower P/E)

GrowthCOST(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeQCOM(higher dividend yield)

QualityCOST(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	COST	QCOM
P/E ratio	49.41	22.72●
Forward P/E	43.40	19.72●
P/S ratio	1.49●	5.10
P/B ratio	13.03	8.32●
PEG ratio	5.23	3.96●
EV / EBITDA	29.43	16.71●
FCF yield	2.02%	5.51%●

Profitability

Metric	COST	QCOM
Gross margin	12.88%	54.80%●
Operating margin	3.82%	25.52%●
Net margin	3.01%	22.31%●
ROE	26.38%	36.38%●
ROIC	19.44%●	13.15%

Dividends

Metric	COST	QCOM
Dividend yield	0.55%	1.70%●
Payout ratio	29.44%	70.95%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	QCOM
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%●	8.63%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%●	5.74%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	9.39%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	21.56%●	11.87%

Frequently asked

Which is better, COST or QCOM?: It depends on your goal. value: QCOM (lower P/E); growth: COST (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: QCOM (higher dividend yield); quality: COST (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, QCOM leads 12 to 5.
Is COST or QCOM cheaper?: On trailing earnings, QCOM is cheaper: COST trades at a 49.41 P/E and QCOM at 22.72.
Which has grown faster, COST or QCOM?: Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus QCOM at 8.63%.
Does COST or QCOM pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.55% and QCOM yields 1.70% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is COST or QCOM more profitable?: QCOM runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus QCOM at 22.31%.
Which has been the better investment, COST or QCOM?: Over the past 10-year, COST delivered the higher annualized total return — COST at 21.26% versus QCOM at 17.83%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full COST analysis Full QCOM analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

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

Costco Wholesale & QUALCOMM appear in these rankings

Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks Best 10-Year Total Return 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 June 14, 2026.