Head-to-head · free
Costco vs Walmart
COST vs WMT — return on capital, cash generation, margins and balance sheet side by side.
COST
6 / 11
measures where COST leads
WMT
5 / 11
measures where WMT leads
A simple count of which company scores better on each measure — not a recommendation to buy or sell.
| Measure | COST · FY2026 | WMT · FY2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $303.2B | $713.2B |
| Net income | $9.2B | $21.9B |
| Revenue growth (yearly, multi-year) | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| Free cash flow | $9.4B | $14.9B |
| Free cash flow margin | 3.1% | 2.1% |
| Net cash / (debt) | $11.6B | (56.4B) |
| ROIC | 22.5% | 13.3% |
| Return on equity | 30.7% | 23.0% |
| Gross margin | 12.8% | 24.9% |
| Operating margin | 3.8% | 4.2% |
| Net debt / EBITDA | -0.66x | 0.77x |
Figures are as reported by each company; latest fiscal year shown.
Where Costco's cash went (FY2026)
- Capital spending
- $6.4B
- Buybacks
- $848.0M
- Dividends
- $2.5B
- Acquisitions
- $0
- Net debt issued / (repaid)
- $312.0M
Where Walmart's cash went (FY2026)
- Capital spending
- $26.6B
- Buybacks
- $8.1B
- Dividends
- $7.5B
- Acquisitions
- $53.0M
- Net debt issued / (repaid)
- $4.9B
Ask which business is stronger
"Which one reinvests at higher returns?" "Who carries more risk in its filings?" Get answers drawn straight from both companies' filings.
Compare them free