BJ vs COST: BJs Wholesale Club and Costco Wholesale compared
The short version
From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.
- Costco Wholesale is the larger company, worth $426.6B, about 33.3 times BJs Wholesale Club.
- BJs Wholesale Club grew revenue faster over the last year (+15.7% vs +10.1%).
- Costco Wholesale keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (3.9% vs 3.8%).
- On earnings, BJs Wholesale Club is the cheaper stock (23.0x vs 45.6x).
- Costco Wholesale's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about 16% a year, against 14% for BJs Wholesale Club (reverse DCF).
Side by side
The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.
| Measure | BJ | COST |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $12.8B | $426.6B |
| Share price | $99.04 | $946.92 |
| Revenue (last fiscal year) | $21.5B | $303.2B |
| Free cash flow (last fiscal year) | $328M | $9.4B |
| Revenue growth, last year | +15.7% | +10.1% |
| Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years | +6.5% | +7.5% |
| Operating margin | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Net margin | 2.6% | 3.0% |
| Return on equity | 27.1% | 25.8% |
| P/E (trailing) | 23.0x | 45.6x |
| Price / free cash flow | 38.8x | 54.4x |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.0x | 26.5x |
| FCF growth the price implies | 13.8% | 15.8% |
| Dividend yield | — | 0.55% |
| Debt / equity | 2.64x | 1.49x |
| Fundamental grade | C | C |
| Superinvestors holding it | 5 | 8 |
| Insider purchases, last 12 months | 4 | 10 |
Results from SEC filings
Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.
BJs Wholesale Club
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $16.7B | $508M | 3.7% |
| 2023 | $19.3B | $390M | 3.8% |
| 2024 | $20.0B | $252M | 4.0% |
| 2025 | $20.5B | $313M | 3.8% |
| 2026 | $21.5B | $328M | 3.8% |
Costco Wholesale
| Year | Revenue | Free cash flow | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $227.0B | $3.5B | 3.4% |
| 2023 | $242.3B | $6.7B | 3.3% |
| 2024 | $254.5B | $6.6B | 3.6% |
| 2025 | $275.2B | $7.8B | 3.8% |
| 2026 | $303.2B | $9.4B | 3.9% |
Where the revenue comes from
BJs Wholesale Club · by products, 2026
Net sales$21.0B98%
Membership fee income$500M2%
Costco Wholesale · by products, 2026
Net sales$297.2B98%
Membership fees$5.9B2%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open BJ in InvestinglyQuestions
Which is bigger, BJs Wholesale Club or Costco Wholesale?
Costco Wholesale (COST), at $426.6B against $12.8B.
Is BJ or COST cheaper?
By trailing P/E, BJs Wholesale Club (23.0x) is cheaper than Costco Wholesale (45.6x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.
Which grows faster, BJ or COST?
BJs Wholesale Club: revenue grew +15.7% over the last year, against +10.1%.
Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.