Mohanram G-Score is a financial indicator developed by professor Partha Mohanram to help investors find the best investment opportunities in the growth stocks. Companies have higher G-score tends to generate higher return. According to his study, the best growth stocks that have a G-Score greater than 6 tend to beat the market, while those with a G-Score lower than 1 tend to have negative absolute returns.
Thus, the zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 6, 7, 8
Bad or low score = 0, 1
Costco Wholesale has an G-score of 1. It is a bad or low score, which tends to have negative absolute returns.
The historical rank and industry rank for Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score or its related term are showing as below:
COST'
s Mohanram G-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1 Med: 6 Max: 7
Current: 1
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski G-score of Costco Wholesale was 7. The lowest was 1. And the median was 6.
Partha Mohanram is the John H. Watson Chair in Value Investing at Rotman and the Acting Vice-Dean of Research Strategy and Resources.
In 2000, he wrote a research paper called "Separating Winners from Losers Among Low Book-to-Market Stocks Using Financial Statement Analysis".
This paper tests whether a strategy based on financial statement analysis of low book-to-market (growth) stocks is successful in differentiating between winners and losers in terms of future stock performance. Based on the research, a strategy based on buying high G-score (6, 7 or 8) firms and shorting low G-score (0 or 1) firms consistently earns significant excess returns. Further, the results do not support a risk based explanation for the book-to-market effect as the strategy returns positive returns in all years, and firms that ex-ante appear less risky have better future returns.
To conclude, one can use a modified fundamental analysis strategy (G-score) to identify mispricing and earn substantial abnormal returns.
Costco Wholesale Mohanram G-Score Related Terms
Costco Wholesale Mohanram G-Score Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score 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.
COST vs TGT, DG, DLTR: Mohanram G-Score Comparison
For the Discount Stores subindustry, Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Mohanram G-Score 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 Mohanram G-Score vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score falls into.
The calculation of the Mohanram G-score consists of eight criteria. Assign one point for each criterion met, then add up all the points to get the G-Score.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
ROA % is calculated as Net Income divided by its average Total Assets over a certain period of time. It measures how well a company uses its asset to generate earnings.
Score 1 if ROA > ROA Industry Median, 0 otherwise.
Score 1 if CAPEX Intensity > CAPEX Intensity Industry Median, 0 otherwise.
Question 8. Advertising Expenditure Intensity
Advertising Expenditure Intensity is calcualted by Advertising Expenditure divided by the beginning Total Assets. Note that Advertising Expenditure is not reported as a seperate line item for many companies, thus Selling, General, & Admin. Expense is used in this calculation.
Score 1 if Advertising Expenditure Intensity > Advertising Expenditure Intensity Industry Median, 0 otherwise.
* 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.
* Note that all the Industry Median used for comparison in his original research, are substituted with Sector Median due to the limitation of data within certain countries.
Good or high score = 6, 7, 8
Bad or low score = 0, 1
Costco Wholesale has an G-score of 1. It is a bad or low score, which tends to have negative absolute returns.
Costco Wholesale (COST) has a Mohanram G-Score of 1 as of May. 2026. G-Score is a financial indicator developed by professor Partha Mohanram to help investors find the best investment opportunities in the growth stocks. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. This is 83% below median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 7.00.
Is Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score too high?
Costco Wholesale's current Mohanram G-Score of 1 is 83% below median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.00 to a high of 7.00. Overall, Costco Wholesale has a GF Score™ of 97/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score compare to TGT and DG?
Costco Wholesale's Mohanram G-Score of 1 can be compared against companies in the Retail - Defensive industry. Historically, Costco Wholesale's own Mohanram G-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 7.00 over the past decade. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Mohanram G-Score for a Retail - Defensive company?
A good Mohanram G-Score depends on the Retail - Defensive industry context. However, Mohanram G-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Mohanram G-Score mean?
A high Mohanram G-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. G-Score is a financial indicator developed by professor Partha Mohanram to help investors find the best investment opportunities in the growth stocks. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. Costco Wholesale's current Mohanram G-Score is 1, which is 83% below median its own 10-year median of 6.00. 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 (COST) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $1,014.93, compared to a current price of $964.11 — trading 5% below its estimated fair value. The current Mohanram G-Score is 1, which is 83% below median its 10-year median of 6.00. Costco Wholesale's overall GF Score™ is 97/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Mohanram G-Score calculated?
Mohanram G-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Costco Wholesale (COST), the current Mohanram G-Score is 1 as of May. 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 (COST) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Costco Wholesale stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $964.11 is trading 5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $1,014.93.
GuruFocus considers Costco Wholesale to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for COST:
Mohanram G-Score: 1 (83% below median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $1,014.93 vs. price of $964.11 (5% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the COST stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
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.
97GF Score
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