Figures as of the Nov 13, 2026 close. Updated after each trading day. Not a recommendation or a forecast.
From Jul 9, 1986 to the Nov 13, 2026 close, $1,000 in Costco (COST) became $151,416 and $1,000 in Walmart (WMT) became $214,182, with dividends reinvested.
From Jul 9, 1986 to Nov 13, 2026, Costco grew 13.2% a year and Walmart grew 14.2%. The higher rate, Walmart's, came with narrower daily swings. Volatility was 30.9% for Costco and 26.1% for Walmart. The Sharpe ratio is the yearly return above a fixed 5% risk-free rate, per unit of volatility.
Sharpe ratios were 0.27 for Costco and 0.35 for Walmart. Over the same dates, the price record shows deepest falls of 61.7% for Costco and 50.6% for Walmart. From Feb 1, 1993 to Nov 13, 2026, betas to the S&P 500 were 0.79 for Costco and 0.65 for Walmart.
The $1,000 in Costco and the $1,000 in Walmart swapped places 4 times at month ends. The latest swap came at the end of Jul 2024. Since then, the $1,000 in Walmart has been worth more at every month end. Across all 485 month ends, Costco's value was the higher one at 8 and Walmart's at 477.
At the end of Aug 2003, $1,000 had become $2,932 in Costco and $21,314 in Walmart. In relative terms, that was the widest gap between them at any month end. The $1,000 in Costco first doubled to $2,000 at a month end in Nov 1997. The $1,000 in Walmart did so in Apr 1990.
The $1,000 in Costco first stood at $100,000 or more at a month end in Feb 2024. The $1,000 in Walmart did so in May 2024.
Every row ends at the Nov 13, 2026 close. The "a year" columns give the yearly rate from each start date. The yearly rates were furthest apart over the last year. Over that span, Costco grew 20.3% a year and Walmart grew 26.0%.
The rates were closest over the full span since Jul 1986: 13.2% for Costco and 14.2% for Walmart.
Costco's rate over the last year, 20.3%, was below its 10-year rate of 24.0%. Walmart's last-year rate, 26.0%, was above its 10-year rate of 20.5%. In every row, $1,000 in Costco and $1,000 in Walmart both ended above $1,000.
| Period | $1,000 in Costco | $1,000 in Walmart | Costco a year | Walmart a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since both startedfrom Jul 9, 1986 | $151,416 | $214,182 | 13.2% | 14.2% |
| Last 20 yearsfrom Nov 13, 2006 | $31,189 | $12,382 | 18.8% | 13.4% |
| Last 10 yearsfrom Nov 14, 2016 | $8,601 | $6,442 | 24.0% | 20.5% |
| Last 5 yearsfrom Nov 12, 2021 | $2,257 | $2,768 | 17.7% | 22.6% |
| Last yearfrom Nov 13, 2025 | $1,203 | $1,260 | 20.3% | 26.0% |
At the Nov 13, 2026 close, Costco was at its month-end high. At the same close, Walmart was 2.5% below its Apr 2026 month-end high. On daily closes, Costco's deepest fall was 61.7% from Aug 29, 1991 to Jan 11, 1995. Walmart's deepest fall was 50.6% from Aug 21, 1987 to Dec 3, 1987.
Costco closed back at its old high on May 9, 1997, 2 years and 3 months after the low. Walmart closed back at its old high on Jul 21, 1989, 1 year and 7 months after the low. Costco was 20% or more below its high at 153 of 485 month ends.
Walmart was 20% or more below its high at 136.
The S&P 500's dot-com fall ran from its Mar 24, 2000 high to its Oct 9, 2002 low. Over those dates, Costco fell 43.5% and Walmart 7.4%. The S&P 500's 2008 fall ran from its Oct 9, 2007 high to its Mar 9, 2009 low. Over those dates, Costco fell 38.3% while Walmart rose 7.4%.
The S&P 500's COVID fall ran from its Feb 19, 2020 high to its Mar 23, 2020 low. Over those dates, Costco fell 11.6% and Walmart 2.5%. The S&P 500's 2022 fall ran from its Jan 3, 2022 high to its Oct 12, 2022 low. Over those dates, Costco fell 17.3% and Walmart 8.2%.
The bars cover 39 full calendar years, 1987 to 2025. Costco rose in 30 of them and Walmart in 30. Costco's yearly change was higher in 23 years and Walmart's in 16. Both rose in 25 and both fell in 4. In 9 years, one rose while the other fell.
Costco's lowest year was 2002 (−36.8%) and Walmart's was 2015 (−26.6%). Their highest years were 1997 for Costco (+77.6%) and 1998 for Walmart (+107.6%). The widest one-year gap between them was 1991: Costco +28.0%, Walmart +95.4%. In 2025, the latest full year, Costco fell 5.4% and Walmart rose 24.5%.
These counts cover 120 full months, Nov 2016 to Oct 2026. Costco rose in 76 of them and Walmart in 73. Both rose in 56, both fell in 27, and in 37 one rose while the other fell. Costco's largest monthly fall was −15.3% in Dec 2022, and Walmart's −15.6% in May 2022.
Costco's largest monthly rise was +14.8% in Nov 2017, and Walmart's +18.9% in Oct 2026. Costco's longest run of falling months was 3, ending in Aug 2017. Walmart's longest run of falling months was 5, ending in Sep 2026.
The latest cell is a part month, from the Oct 30, 2026 close to the Nov 13, 2026 close. Over those days, Costco changed +9.3% and Walmart +3.7%.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +9.2 | +7.5 | −1.4 | +1.8 | −5.6 | −2.2 | +1.9 | −0.8 | −3.6 | +11.4 | +9.3 | |
| 2025 | +6.9 | +7.1 | −9.8 | +5.2 | +4.7 | −4.8 | −5.1 | +0.5 | −1.9 | −1.4 | +0.2 | −5.6 |
| 2024 | +5.3 | +7.2 | −1.5 | −1.2 | +12.0 | +5.0 | −3.2 | +8.6 | −0.7 | −1.4 | +11.3 | −5.7 |
| 2023 | +12.0 | −5.1 | +2.6 | +1.3 | +1.9 | +5.2 | +4.1 | −1.8 | +2.9 | −2.2 | +7.5 | +13.9 |
| 2022 | −11.0 | +3.0 | +10.9 | −7.5 | −12.3 | +2.8 | +13.1 | −3.5 | −9.5 | +6.4 | +7.5 | −15.3 |
| 2021 | −6.5 | −5.9 | +6.5 | +5.8 | +1.7 | +4.6 | +8.8 | +6.0 | −1.3 | +9.6 | +9.7 | +5.3 |
| 2020 | +3.9 | −7.8 | +1.4 | +6.5 | +1.8 | −1.7 | +7.6 | +6.8 | +2.1 | +0.9 | +9.5 | −1.3 |
| 2019 | +5.4 | +2.2 | +10.7 | +1.4 | −2.2 | +10.3 | +4.3 | +7.2 | −2.3 | +3.3 | +0.9 | −2.0 |
| 2018 | +4.7 | −1.8 | −1.3 | +4.6 | +0.8 | +5.4 | +4.7 | +6.9 | +0.8 | −2.7 | +1.4 | −11.9 |
| 2017 | +2.4 | +8.4 | −5.4 | +5.9 | +6.1 | −11.4 | −0.9 | −0.8 | +4.8 | −2.0 | +14.8 | +0.9 |
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +6.9 | +7.4 | −2.7 | +6.2 | −12.1 | −2.2 | −1.8 | −5.5 | −0.9 | +18.9 | +3.7 | |
| 2025 | +8.6 | +0.5 | −10.7 | +10.8 | +1.8 | −1.0 | +0.2 | −0.8 | +6.3 | −1.8 | +9.2 | +1.0 |
| 2024 | +4.8 | +6.4 | +3.0 | −1.4 | +11.2 | +3.0 | +1.4 | +12.8 | +4.6 | +1.5 | +12.9 | −2.1 |
| 2023 | +1.5 | −1.2 | +4.2 | +2.4 | −2.3 | +7.0 | +1.7 | +2.1 | −1.6 | +2.2 | −4.7 | +1.6 |
| 2022 | −3.4 | −3.3 | +10.6 | +2.7 | −15.6 | −5.5 | +8.6 | +0.8 | −2.2 | +9.7 | +7.1 | −6.6 |
| 2021 | −2.5 | −7.5 | +5.0 | +3.0 | +1.9 | −0.7 | +1.1 | +4.3 | −5.9 | +7.2 | −5.9 | +3.3 |
| 2020 | −3.7 | −5.9 | +6.0 | +7.0 | +2.5 | −3.4 | +8.0 | +7.7 | +0.8 | −0.8 | +10.1 | −5.3 |
| 2019 | +2.9 | +3.3 | −0.9 | +5.4 | −0.8 | +8.9 | −0.1 | +4.0 | +3.9 | −1.2 | +1.6 | +0.2 |
| 2018 | +7.9 | −15.6 | −0.6 | −0.6 | −6.1 | +3.8 | +4.2 | +8.1 | −2.0 | +6.8 | −2.6 | −4.1 |
| 2017 | −3.4 | +6.3 | +2.4 | +4.3 | +5.2 | −3.7 | +5.7 | −1.8 | +0.1 | +11.7 | +11.4 | +2.1 |
The rolling 1-year return is the change over the 12 months to each month end. From Jul 1987 to Nov 2026, Costco's rolling 1-year return ran from −51.6% (12 months to Aug 1992) to +106.0% (to Sep 1991). Over the same months, Walmart's ran from −31.1% (12 months to Nov 2015) to +117.1% (to Jan 1999).
Costco's 12-month change was below zero at 106 of those 473 month ends, and Walmart's at 116. Costco's 12-month change was the higher one at 256 month ends and Walmart's at 215, and the two were level at 2. That is close to an even split.
These measures cover Jul 9, 1986 to Nov 13, 2026. Over those dates, volatility was 30.9% for Costco and 26.1% for Walmart. The Sortino ratio counts only falling days as risk. Against the same 5% rate, Sortino ratios were 0.39 for Costco and 0.52 for Walmart. The Calmar ratio is the yearly return divided by the deepest fall.
Calmar ratios were 0.21 for Costco and 0.28 for Walmart.
Beta shows how much Costco and Walmart tended to move on the days the S&P 500 (SPY) moved. A beta of 1 means moving by the same amount as the index. From Feb 1, 1993 to Nov 13, 2026, Costco's beta was 0.79 and Walmart's 0.65. By that measure, both tended to move less than the index.
The correlation of Costco's and Walmart's daily moves was 0.49, a partial link. A correlation of 1 would mean they always moved together, 0 no link and −1 always opposite.
| Measure | Costco | Walmart |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility, a year | 30.9% | 26.1% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.27 | 0.35 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.39 | 0.52 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.21 | 0.28 |
| Deepest fall | 61.7% | 50.6% |
| Beta to the S&P 500from Feb 1, 1993 | 0.79 | 0.65 |
| Upside capturemonths from Dec 2016 | 96% | 78% |
| Downside capturemonths from Dec 2016 | 30% | 15% |
| Biggest one-day rise | +19.38%Jun 16, 1993 | +12.44%Oct 21, 1987 |
| Biggest one-day fall | −23.50%Apr 2, 1992 | −11.79%Oct 16, 1987 |
| Price against its 50-day average | +14.5% | +11.8% |
| Price against its 200-day average | +13.7% | +8.0% |
| Correlation of daily movesfrom Feb 1, 1993 | 0.49 | |
What Costco and Walmart do, from each company's latest annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership warehouses. It operated 939 warehouses worldwide at August 30, 2026. They are in the United States and Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Sweden, Iceland and New Zealand. It also runs e-commerce sites in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and China.
Its merchandise categories are foods and sundries, non-foods and fresh foods, plus warehouse ancillary businesses such as gasoline, pharmacy, optical and food courts. Its reportable segments are United States, Canada and Other International. Costco began operations in 1983 in Seattle, Washington. Its principal executive offices are in Issaquah, Washington. Its fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to August 31.
Source: 10-K (fiscal 2026, ended August 30, 2026), filed Oct 7, 2026 (SEC EDGAR)
Walmart Inc. operates retail and wholesale stores and clubs, as well as eCommerce websites and mobile applications. Its operations are located throughout the U.S., Africa, Canada, Central America, Chile, China, India and Mexico. The company describes itself as an omnichannel retailer, offering shopping in stores and through eCommerce along with other services.
It reports three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club U.S. Its principal offices are in Bentonville, Arkansas, and its common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Its fiscal year ends on January 31 for its U.S. and Canadian operations. Other operations are generally consolidated with a one-month lag on a calendar-year basis.
Source: 10-K (fiscal 2026, ended January 31, 2026), filed Mar 13, 2026 (SEC EDGAR)
It depends on the period. Costco had the higher total return over the last 20 and 10 years. Walmart had the higher total return over the full span since Jul 1986, the last 5 years and the last year. From Jul 9, 1986 to the Nov 13, 2026 close, Costco returned +15,042% in total and Walmart +21,318%.
Both include reinvested dividends, before taxes and fees. Over the last 10 years, Costco returned +760% and Walmart +544%. Over the last 5 years, Costco returned +126% and Walmart +177%. Over the last year, Costco returned +20.3% and Walmart +26.0%. None of these Costco and Walmart figures is a forecast.
SmartFin does not say which to buy. This page reports what Costco and Walmart prices did. From Jul 9, 1986 to Nov 13, 2026, Costco grew 13.2% a year and Walmart grew 14.2%. The record shows deepest falls of 61.7% for Costco and 50.6% for Walmart. Past returns for Costco and Walmart do not show what either will do next.
Yes. Every COST and WMT figure here uses closing prices adjusted for stock splits and dividends, so dividends count as reinvested. Taxes, fees and trading costs are left out of the Costco and Walmart figures.
At the Nov 13, 2026 close, Costco was at its highest month-end value. At the same close, Walmart was 2.5% below its highest month-end value, set in Apr 2026. Costco's deepest fall on daily closes was 61.7%, from Aug 1991 to Jan 1995. Walmart's deepest fall was 50.6%, from Aug 1987 to Dec 1987.
Compare Costco and Walmart with your own amount and dates in Compare Two Stocks
Daily closing prices adjusted for stock splits, with dividends reinvested, before taxes and fees. Both amounts are invested at the same close and valued at the Nov 13, 2026 close. See also: What if you invested in Costco · What if you invested in Walmart.
This page presents historical market data and calculated results for a defined period. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold the security, fund, or index shown. Past performance is not indicative of future results.