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The historical rank and industry rank for Costco Wholesale's Net Cash per Share or its related term are showing as below:
COST's Price-to-Net-Cash is not ranked *
in the Retail - Defensive industry.
Industry Median: 5.07 * Ranked among companies with meaningful Price-to-Net-Cash only.
Costco Wholesale (NAS:COST) Net Cash per Share Explanation
Ben Graham invested in situations where the company's stock price was lower than its net-cash. He assigned some value to the company's other current asset. The value is called Net Current Asset Value (NCAV). One research study, covering the years 1970 through 1983 showed that portfolios picked at the beginning of each year, and held for one year, returned 29.4 percent, on average, over the 13-year period, compared to 11.5 percent for the S&P 500 Index. Other studies of Graham's strategy produced similar results.
You can find companies that are traded below their Net Current Asset Value (NCAV) with our Net-Net screener.
Costco Wholesale Net Cash per Share Related Terms
Costco Wholesale Net Cash per Share Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Costco Wholesale's Net Cash per Share 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: Net Cash per Share Comparison
For the Discount Stores subindustry, Costco Wholesale's Price-to-Net-Cash, along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-Net-Cash 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 Price-to-Net-Cash vs Retail - Defensive Industry
For the Retail - Defensive industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Costco Wholesale's Price-to-Net-Cash distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Costco Wholesale's Price-to-Net-Cash falls into.
In the calculation of a company's Net Cash per Share, assets other than cash and short term investments are considered to be worth nothing. But the company has to pay its debt and other liabilities in full. This is an extremely conservative way of valuation. Most companies have negative Net Cash per Share. But sometimes a company's price may be lower than its net-cash.
Costco Wholesale's Net Cash per Share for the fiscal year that ended in Aug. 2025 is calculated as
* 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 (COST) has a Net Cash per Share of $-74.24 as of May. 2026. Net cash per share equals the per-share value of cash and equivalents less total liabilities and minority interest. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #999999 out of 37 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry.
Is Costco Wholesale's Net Cash per Share too high?
Costco Wholesale's current Net Cash per Share is $-74.24. Based on the distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #999999 out of 37 companies in the Retail - Defensive industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Costco Wholesale has a GF Score™ of 94/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Costco Wholesale's Net Cash per Share compare to TGT and DG?
According to the Retail - Defensive industry distribution chart, Costco Wholesale ranks #999999 out of 37 companies for Net Cash per Share. This places Costco Wholesale in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Net Cash per Share is 5.07. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Net Cash per Share for a Retail - Defensive company?
The median Net Cash per Share among Retail - Defensive companies is 5.07, based on 37 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Net Cash per Share significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Net Cash per Share 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 Net Cash per Share mean?
A high Net Cash per Share can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Net cash per share equals the per-share value of cash and equivalents less total liabilities and minority interest. View historical data on Costco Wholesale and its competitors. For the Retail - Defensive industry, the median Net Cash per Share is 5.07 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Costco Wholesale's current Net Cash per Share is $-74.24. 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 $1,033.02, compared to a current price of $961.35 — trading 6.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Net Cash per Share is $-74.24. Costco Wholesale's overall GF Score™ is 94/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Net Cash per Share calculated?
Net Cash per Share is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Costco Wholesale (COST), the current Net Cash per Share is $-74.24 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 $961.35 is trading 6.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $1,033.02.
GuruFocus considers Costco Wholesale to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for COST:
Net Cash per Share: $-74.24
GF Value™: $1,033.02 vs. price of $961.35 (6.9% 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.
94GF Score
Get the complete analysis for COST
Net Cash per Share is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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