COST vs. MA

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) and Mastercard Inc (MA).

Performance

COST vs. MA - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) and Mastercard Inc (MA). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

COST vs. MA - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
COST Costco Wholesale Corporation	15.71%	-5.39%	39.62%	49.00%	-19.05%	51.82%	32.67%	45.70%	10.60%	22.37%
MA Mastercard Inc	-12.34%	9.04%	24.17%	23.40%	-2.66%	1.16%	20.19%	59.16%	25.31%	47.69%

Fundamentals

EPS COST : $25.63 MA : $16.56
PE Ratio COST : 38.87 MA : 30.18
PEG Ratio COST : 3.04 MA : 1.39
PS Ratio COST : 1.16 MA : 13.77
Total Revenue (TTM) COST : $286.27B MA : $32.79B
Gross Profit (TTM) COST : $19.33B MA : $27.36B
EBITDA (TTM) COST : $12.73B MA : $20.19B

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, COST achieves a 15.71% return, which is significantly higher than MA's -12.34% return. Over the past 10 years, COST has outperformed MA with an annualized return of 22.28%, while MA has yielded a comparatively lower 18.66% annualized return.

COST

• 1D: -0.02%
• 1M: -1.42%
• YTD: 15.71%
• 6M: 7.95%
• 1Y: 5.93%
• 3Y*: 27.83%
• 5Y*: 24.28%
• 10Y*: 22.28%

MA

• 1D: 1.15%
• 1M: -3.39%
• YTD: -12.34%
• 6M: -11.91%
• 1Y: -8.31%
• 3Y*: 11.85%
• 5Y*: 7.19%
• 10Y*: 18.66%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Return for Risk

COST vs. MA — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

COST

COST Risk / Return Rank: 49
COST Sharpe Ratio Rank: 53
COST Sortino Ratio Rank: 45
COST Omega Ratio Rank: 44
COST Calmar Ratio Rank: 52
COST Martin Ratio Rank: 52

MA

MA Risk / Return Rank: 26
MA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 26
MA Sortino Ratio Rank: 23
MA Omega Ratio Rank: 23
MA Calmar Ratio Rank: 31
MA Martin Ratio Rank: 27

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

COST vs. MA - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) and Mastercard Inc (MA). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	COST	MA	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.30	-0.35	+0.64
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.57	-0.32	+0.89
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	0.96	+0.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.40	-0.37	+0.77
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.80	-0.91	+1.72
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

COST vs. MA - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current COST Sharpe Ratio is 0.30, which is higher than the MA Sharpe Ratio of -0.35. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of COST and MA, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	COST	MA	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.30	-0.35	+0.64
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.08	0.30	+0.78
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	1.02	0.70	+0.32
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.59	0.84	-0.25

Correlation

The correlation between COST and MA is 0.38, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

COST vs. MA - Dividend Comparison

COST's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.52%, less than MA's 0.63% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
COST Costco Wholesale Corporation	0.52%	0.59%	0.49%	2.87%	0.76%	0.54%	3.38%	0.86%	1.08%	4.81%	1.09%	4.06%
MA Mastercard Inc	0.63%	0.53%	0.50%	0.53%	0.56%	0.49%	0.45%	0.44%	0.53%	0.58%	0.74%	0.66%

Drawdowns

COST vs. MA - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum COST drawdown since its inception was -53.39%, smaller than the maximum MA drawdown of -62.67%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for COST and MA.

Drawdown Indicators

	COST	MA	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-53.39%	-62.67%	+9.28%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-19.35%	-18.92%	-0.43%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-31.40%	-28.25%	-3.15%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-31.40%	-41.00%	+9.60%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.96%	-16.34%	+9.38%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.40%	-9.76%	-3.64%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	9.67%	7.71%	+1.96%

Volatility

COST vs. MA - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) is 4.41%, while Mastercard Inc (MA) has a volatility of 6.83%. This indicates that COST experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than MA based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	COST	MA	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.41%	6.83%	-2.42%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	13.36%	16.10%	-2.74%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.15%	24.21%	-4.06%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	22.51%	23.87%	-1.36%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	21.90%	26.79%	-4.89%

Financials

COST vs. MA - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Costco Wholesale Corporation and Mastercard Inc over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

COST - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation reported a gross profit of -8.80B and revenue of 69.60B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was -12.6%.

MA - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Mastercard Inc reported a gross profit of 8.81B and revenue of 8.81B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 100.0%.

COST - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation reported an operating income of 2.61B and revenue of 69.60B, resulting in an operating margin of 3.7%.

MA - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Mastercard Inc reported an operating income of 4.91B and revenue of 8.81B, resulting in an operating margin of 55.8%.

COST - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Costco Wholesale Corporation reported a net income of 2.04B and revenue of 69.60B, resulting in a net margin of 2.9%.

MA - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Apr 2026, Mastercard Inc reported a net income of 4.06B and revenue of 8.81B, resulting in a net margin of 46.1%.