Costco Wholesale (BUE:COST) Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio: 20.20 (As of Aug. 15, 2026) — 59% Above Median

Author: Vera Yuan Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Director of Data and Quant Analytics at GuruFocus
Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Reviewed by: Charlie Tian Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Founder & CEO of GuruFocus
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.

BUE:COST Costco Wholesale Corp BUE:COST
92 GF Score
Price ARS31,500.00
GF Value ARS33,826.69
Valuation Fairly Valued
! 1 Warning Sign
View Full Analysis

What is Costco Wholesale Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio?

Costco Wholesale BUE:COST -0.44% 92 Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 20.20 as of Aug. 15, 2026, which is 59% above its 10-year median of 12.71. GuruFocus rates BUE:COST with a GF Score™ of 92/100 and a GF Value™ of ARS33,826.69 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 231 Retail - Defensive companies, Costco Wholesale ranks worse than 97.4% on this metric.

As of today (2026-08-15), Costco Wholesale's current share price is ARS31500.00. Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted Book per Share for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 was ARS1,559.42. Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio for today is 20.20.

The historical rank and industry rank for Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio or its related term are showing as below:

BUE:COST' s Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 5.45   Med: 12.71   Max: 25.21
Current: 19.11

During the past years, Costco Wholesale's highest Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio was 25.21. The lowest was 5.45. And the median was 12.71.

BUE:COST's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is ranked worse than
97.4% of 231 companies
in the Retail - Defensive industry
Industry Median: 1.65 vs BUE:COST: 19.11

The Shiller PE Ratio was first used by professor Robert Shiller. He uses E10 for his Shiller PE Ratio calculation. E10 is the average of the inflation adjusted earnings per share of a company over the past 10 years. The similar calculation is applied by GuruFocus to calculate the Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio. The Cyclically Adjusted Book per Share is the average of the inflation adjusted book value per share of a company over the past 10 years.

Costco Wholesale's adjusted book value per share data for the three months ended in May. 2026 was ARS426,709.452. Add all the adjusted book value per share for the past 10 years together and divide the count will get our Cyclically Adjusted Book per Share, which is ARS1,559.42 for the trailing ten years ended in May. 2026.

Shiller PE for Stocks: The True Measure of Stock Valuation


Costco Wholesale  (BUE:COST) Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Explanation

Compared with the regular PB Ratio, which works poorly for cyclical businesses, the Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio smoothed out the fluctuations of book value during business cycles. Therefore it is more accurate in reflecting the valuation of the company.

If a company has consistent business performance, the Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio should give similar results to regular PB Ratio.


Costco Wholesale Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Related Terms


Costco Wholesale Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Costco Wholesale Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Chart

Costco Wholesale Annual Data
Trend Aug16 Aug17 Aug18 Aug19 Aug20 Aug21 Aug22 Aug23 Aug24 Aug25
Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 14.05 14.50 13.98 21.25 20.57

Costco Wholesale Quarterly Data
Aug21 Nov21 Feb22 May22 Aug22 Nov22 Feb23 May23 Aug23 Nov23 Feb24 May24 Aug24 Nov24 Feb25 May25 Aug25 Nov25 Feb26 May26
Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 23.27 20.57 19.54 21.02 19.02

BUE:COST vs TGT, DG, DLTR: Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Comparison

For the Discount Stores subindustry, Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio, along with its competitors' market caps and Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Costco Wholesale Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio vs Retail - Defensive Industry

For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio falls into.


BUE:COST
92GF Score
Costco Wholesale Corp BUE:COST
Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Costco Wholesale Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio Calculation

Like the Shiller PE Ratio, the Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio takes the Book Value per Share from the past 10 years, adjusts it for inflation, and then calculates the average. This average is then used for the P/B calculation. Because it considers this 10-year average, it's often referred to as the CAPB Ratio.

The Shiller PE Ratio was first used by professor Robert Shiller to measure the valuation of the overall market. The similar calculation is applied by GuruFocus to calculate the Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio.

Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio for today is calculated as

Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio=Share Price/ Cyclically Adjusted Book per Share
=31500.00/1559.42
=20.20

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted Book per Share for the quarter that ended in May. 2026 is calculated as:

For example, Costco Wholesale's adjusted Book Value per Share data for the three months ended in May. 2026 was:

Adj_Book=Book Value per Share/CPI of May. 2026 (Change)*Current CPI (May. 2026)
=426709.452/335.1230*335.1230
=426,709.452

Current CPI (May. 2026) = 335.1230.

Costco Wholesale Quarterly Data

Book Value per Share CPI Adj_Book
201608 1,647.062 240.849 2,291.761
201611 1,643.041 241.353 2,281.392
201702 1,753.741 243.603 2,412.610
201705 1,457.014 244.733 1,995.149
201708 1,714.830 245.519 2,340.670
201711 1,757.259 246.669 2,387.401
201802 2,160.308 248.991 2,907.611
201805 2,271.656 251.588 3,025.916
201808 3,199.896 252.146 4,252.928
201811 4,290.689 252.038 5,705.126
201902 4,695.219 252.776 6,224.784
201905 5,828.628 256.092 7,627.366
201908 6,076.757 256.558 7,937.624
201911 8,553.408 257.208 11,144.458
202002 9,067.982 258.678 11,747.769
202005 10,140.779 256.394 13,254.633
202008 11,985.025 259.918 15,452.787
202011 9,703.235 260.229 12,495.830
202102 12,387.065 263.014 15,783.154
202105 13,941.120 269.195 17,355.411
202108 14,864.522 273.567 18,209.226
202111 16,624.511 277.948 20,044.238
202202 18,419.240 283.716 21,756.654
202205 20,791.848 292.296 23,838.255
202208 24,600.811 296.171 27,836.276
202211 30,422.410 297.711 34,245.457
202302 38,497.045 300.840 42,884.075
202305 47,313.846 304.127 52,135.976
202308 62,476.359 307.026 68,193.784
202311 82,484.879 307.051 90,026.022
202402 65,526.165 310.326 70,762.118
202405 172,154.394 314.069 183,694.975
202408 198,729.969 314.796 211,562.356
202411 218,103.997 315.493 231,674.445
202502 244,851.410 319.082 257,160.664
202505 289,551.979 321.465 301,854.099
202508 350,509.444 323.976 362,569.377
202511 395,988.386 324.122 409,428.598
202602 407,435.459 326.785 417,831.275
202605 426,709.452 335.123 426,709.452

Add all the adjusted book value per share together and divide the count will get our Cyclically Adjusted Book per Share.

Please note that we use the CPI data of the country/region where the company is headquartered. If the CPI data for that country/region is not available, then we will use the CPI data of the United States as default.

What does a Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio of 20.20 mean?
Costco Wholesale (BUE:COST) has a Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio of 20.20 as of Aug. 15, 2026. Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is the ratio of share price to a company's inflation-adjusted book value per share over a 10-year period. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. This is 59% above median its historical median of 12.71. Over the past decade, Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio has ranged from 5.45 to 25.21. According to the industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #225 out of 231 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, placing it in the top 97.4%.
Is Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio too high?
Costco Wholesale's current Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio of 20.20 is 59% above median its 10-year median of 12.71. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 5.45 to a high of 25.21. The Retail - Defensive industry median Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 1.65. Costco Wholesale's value of 20.20 is 1124.2% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #225 out of 231 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Costco Wholesale has a GF Score™ of 92/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Costco Wholesale's Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio compare to TGT and DG?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #225 out of 231 companies for Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio. This places Costco Wholesale in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 1.65. Costco Wholesale's value of 20.20 is 1124.2% above this benchmark. Historically, Costco Wholesale's own Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio has ranged from 5.45 to 25.21 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 12.71 vs. the industry median of 1.65, Costco Wholesale has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio among Retail - Defensive companies is 1.65, based on 231 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Costco Wholesale's current Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio of 20.20 is 1124.2% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio mean?
A high Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is the ratio of share price to a company's inflation-adjusted book value per share over a 10-year period. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 1.65 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Costco Wholesale's current Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 20.20, which is 59% above median its own 10-year median of 12.71. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Costco Wholesale stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Costco Wholesale (BUE:COST) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is ARS33,826.69, compared to a current price of ARS31,500.00 — trading 6.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 20.20, which is 59% above median its 10-year median of 12.71 and 1124.2% above the Retail - Defensive industry median of 1.65. Costco Wholesale's overall GF Score™ is 92/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio calculated?
Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Costco Wholesale (BUE:COST), the current Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is 20.20 as of Aug. 15, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.

Is Costco Wholesale (BUE:COST) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Costco Wholesale stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of ARS31,500.00 is trading 6.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of ARS33,826.69. GuruFocus considers Costco Wholesale to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for BUE:COST:

  • Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio: 20.20 (59% above median its 10-year median of 12.71)
  • GF Value™: ARS33,826.69 vs. price of ARS31,500.00 (6.9% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 92/100 with 1 warning sign
  • Industry Position: 1124.2% above the Retail - Defensive median (#225 of 231)

No single metric tells the full story. See the BUE:COST stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Costco Wholesale Business Description

Address 999 Lake Drive, Issaquah, WA, USA, 98027
Founded in 1983, Costco Wholesale now operates a global chain of membership-based warehouse clubs, delivering high-quality goods and services at consistently low prices. As of its most recent fiscal year, Costco operated approximately 910 warehouses, serving more than 80 million members across its three geographic segments: Costco US (approximately 73% of total revenue), Costco Canada (13%), and Costco International (14%).Costco's core value proposition—quality products at unbeatable prices—has yielded consistently strong member renewal rates (93% in the US and Canada and nearly 90% internationally). About 55% of Costco's fiscal 2025 revenue came from its grocery offerings, and another 25% from general merchandise.
92GF Score

Get the complete analysis for BUE:COST

Cyclically Adjusted PB Ratio is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

ARS31,500.00
Price
ARS33,826.69
GF Value