Head to head · SEC data as of July 15, 2026
Costco
68
Quality score · out of 100
Target
55
Quality score · out of 100
Costco comes in ahead: a quality score of 68 versus 55 for Target. Costco wins on ROE (26.4% vs 21%), revenue growth (10.4% vs 2.5%) and earnings growth (14.9% vs -2.5%). Target doesn't take a single major metric today.
| Metric | Costco | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Quality score (0-100) | 68 | 55 |
| Net margin | 3% | 3.2% |
| Gross margin | — | — |
| ROE | 26.4% | 21% |
| Net debt/EBITDA | -0.96× | 1.5× |
| FCF margin | 3% | 2.8% |
| Revenue growth (annualized) | 10.4% | 2.5% |
| Earnings growth (annualized) | 14.9% | -2.5% |
TTM metrics with official SEC data, refreshed daily. Bold green marks the winner of each metric. A dash means the metric doesn't apply or isn't reliable.
Costco. Costco is a warehouse-club chain: customers pay an annual membership to buy at very low prices in large volumes. A big part of its profit comes precisely from those membership fees.
Target. Target is the big American 'cheap chic' retailer: fashion, home and basics at affordable prices with a more curated image than Walmart. Its Achilles heel: it depends far more on discretionary spending than its rivals.
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What this comparison doesn't tell you
The score measures business quality, not whether the stock is cheap or expensive: the better company can be the worse investment if you overpay. For the valuation verdict, enter each one's current price in the analyzer:
Who has the stronger fundamentals today, Costco or Target?
By the StockSemáforo model (profitability, growth and financial strength, built on official SEC data), Costco scores higher: 68 versus 55 out of 100. The score is recomputed nightly with the latest filings.
Does that make Costco the better investment?
No. The score measures business quality, not valuation: an excellent company can trade at an excessive price and be a poor investment at that price. To find out whether it's cheap or expensive, enter its current quote in the StockSemáforo analyzer.
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