Question 1

What is Costco's P/E ratio?

Accepted Answer

Costco (COST) P/E ratio is 48.9× as of June 5, 2026. The ratio is calculated by dividing market capitalisation by trailing twelve-month earnings (net income), using USD-normalised financials (IAS 21 exchange-rate translation for non-USD reporters).

Question 2

How is the P/E ratio calculated?

Accepted Answer

P/E = Share Price ÷ Trailing Twelve-Month (TTM) Diluted EPS, or equivalently Market Capitalisation ÷ TTM Net Income. All inputs are sourced from audited GAAP/IFRS filings and translated to USD using period-end exchange rates so the multiple is comparable across companies and currencies.

Question 3

What is the P/E ratio?

Accepted Answer

The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, also called the earnings multiple, measures how much investors pay per dollar of a company's trailing twelve-month (TTM) earnings. It is calculated as share price ÷ TTM diluted EPS (equivalent to market capitalisation ÷ TTM net income). A higher P/E implies the market is pricing in stronger future earnings growth or lower risk; a lower P/E can signal slower expected growth, higher risk, or potential undervaluation.

Question 4

What is a good P/E ratio for Costco?

Accepted Answer

There is no universal "good" P/E. As a rule of thumb, the S&P 500 has historically averaged a P/E in the mid-to-high teens; mature, slow-growth businesses commonly trade in the 10–18× range, while high-growth or asset-light companies often trade at 25–50×+. What matters is the comparison to sector peers and to the company's own historical range. For Costco specifically, the relevant sector benchmark is the current sector median of 22.9×.

Question 5

Is Costco's P/E ratio high or low?

Accepted Answer

Costco's P/E ratio of 48.9× is above its own 5-year average of 46.3× and above the sector median of 22.9×. That places the current reading at the 58th percentile of its 10-year history. A higher multiple usually reflects stronger expected growth, lower perceived risk, or higher returns on capital; a lower multiple reflects the opposite.

Question 6

What is Costco's historical P/E ratio range?

Accepted Answer

In the available daily series, Costco (COST) P/E ratio has ranged from a low of 15.5× in 2009 to a high of 63.2× in 2025. The 5-year average is 46.3× and the 5-year median is 46.8×.

Question 7

What was Costco's P/E ratio in 2025?

Accepted Answer

Costco (COST) P/E ratio at the end of 2025 was 51.7×. Annual values reflect the multiple on the last trading day of each calendar year, using the trailing twelve-month earnings figure available at that date.

Question 8

Why does Costco's P/E ratio change over time?

Accepted Answer

Valuation multiples move with two inputs: the numerator (market capitalisation, which tracks the share price) and the denominator (earnings). Share-price changes — driven by interest rates, earnings expectations, risk appetite, and broader market sentiment — typically dominate short-term moves, while changes in the underlying fundamental drive the longer-term trend. As a result, the ratio can rise during stock-price rallies even if the business itself has not become more valuable, and fall during sell-offs even when fundamentals are improving.


2025	$418.84B	$8.10B	51.7×	-2.1×	Aug 31, 2025
2024	$396.23B	$7.37B	53.8×	+15.0×	Sep 1, 2024
2023	$243.81B	$6.29B	38.7×	-0.9×	Aug 31, 2023
2022	$231.73B	$5.84B	39.7×	-0.7×	Aug 31, 2022
2021	$201.89B	$5.01B	40.3×	+1.8×	Aug 31, 2021
2020	$154.02B	$4.00B	38.5×	+3.1×	Aug 31, 2020
2019	$129.61B	$3.66B	35.4×	+2.8×	Aug 31, 2019
2018	$102.19B	$3.13B	32.6×	+7.0×	Aug 31, 2018
2017	$68.62B	$2.68B	25.6×	-4.6×	Aug 31, 2017
2016	$70.96B	$2.35B	30.2×	+4.3×	Aug 31, 2016
2015	$61.46B	$2.38B	25.9×	+0.1×	Aug 31, 2015
2014	$53.02B	$2.06B	25.8×	+1.8×	Aug 31, 2014
2013	$48.86B	$2.04B	24.0×	-0.8×	Aug 31, 2013
2012	$42.27B	$1.71B	24.7×	+1.3×	Aug 31, 2012
2011	$34.29B	$1.46B	23.5×	+4.5×	Aug 31, 2011
2010	$24.69B	$1.30B	19.0×	-1.5×	Aug 31, 2010
2009	$22.21B	$1.09B	20.5×	-2.2×	Aug 31, 2009
2008	$29.12B	$1.28B	22.7×	-2.1×	Aug 31, 2008
2007	$26.89B	$1.08B	24.8×	+5.2×	Aug 31, 2007
2006	$21.70B	$1.10B	19.7×	+0.2×	Aug 31, 2006
2005	$20.72B	$1.06B	19.5×	-2.1×	Aug 31, 2005
2004	$19.02B	$882.39M	21.6×	+0.1×	Aug 31, 2004
2003	$15.48B	$721.00M	21.5×	-0.3×	Aug 31, 2003
2002	$15.22B	$699.98M	21.7×	—	Aug 31, 2002


Church & Dwight Co. (CHD)	30.1×
Mondelez International (MDLZ)	28.5×
Hormel Foods (HRL)	25.3×
Coca-Cola (KO)	24.1×
PepsiCo (PEP)	23.5×
Philip Morris International (PM)	23.3×
Sysco (SYY)	22.6×
Lamb Weston (LW)	21.9×
Marzetti (MZTI)	21.5×
Procter & Gamble (PG)	20.9×
Kenvue (KVUE)	20.4×
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP)	19.5×
Andersons (ANDE)	19.0×
Target (TGT)	17.0×
Clorox (CLX)	16.6×
Brown-Forman (BF-B)	16.5×
Constellation Brands (STZ)	16.2×
Dollar General (DG)	16.1×
Kimberly-Clark (KMB)	15.1×
Campbell Soup (CPB)	14.9×
Dollar Tree (DLTR)	14.5×
Altria Group (MO)	13.7×
McCormick & Company (MKC)	11.6×
General Mills (GIS)	11.1×
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP)	10.9×

P/E Ratio for Costco (COST)

P/E Ratio daily chart for Costco (COST)

Historical P/E Ratio for Costco (COST) from 2002 to 2025

About P/E Ratio at Costco (COST)

Costco P/E Ratio by Year

Costco P/E Ratio 2025: 51.7×

Costco P/E Ratio 2024: 53.8×

Costco P/E Ratio 2023: 38.7×

Costco P/E Ratio 2022: 39.7×

Costco P/E Ratio 2021: 40.3×

Sector peers by P/E Ratio — chart

Sector peers by P/E Ratio — table

Frequently asked questions

Costco (COST) Key Financials

P/E Ratio daily chart for Costco (COST)

Historical P/E Ratio for Costco (COST) from 2002 to 2025

About P/E Ratio at Costco (COST)

Costco P/E Ratio by Year

Costco P/E Ratio 2025: 51.7×

Costco P/E Ratio 2024: 53.8×

Costco P/E Ratio 2023: 38.7×

Costco P/E Ratio 2022: 39.7×

Costco P/E Ratio 2021: 40.3×

Sector peers by P/E Ratio — chart

Sector peers by P/E Ratio — table

Frequently asked questions

+What is Costco's P/E ratio?

+How is the P/E ratio calculated?

+What is the P/E ratio?

+What is a good P/E ratio for Costco?

+Is Costco's P/E ratio high or low?

+What is Costco's historical P/E ratio range?

+What was Costco's P/E ratio in 2025?

+Why does Costco's P/E ratio change over time?

Costco (COST) Key Financials