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CL or COST or KR
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Colgate-Palmolive (CL) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. The Kroger Co. (KR) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- KR leads YTD performance at approximately 17%, outpacing COST at 13% and CL at 8%, driven by strong Q4 revenue growth and margin improvements.
- COST boasts the largest market cap at over $430 billion, reflecting its dominant membership-driven retail model amid resilient consumer spending.
- CL offers the highest dividend yield around 2.5%, appealing to income-focused investors in a volatile market environment.
- All three exhibit defensive consumer staples traits, with low betas (<1.0), but COST trades at a premium P/E of ~51x versus KR's 47x and CL's 32x.
- Recent weeks show mixed momentum: KR hit 52-week highs near $76 before pulling back, while CL and COST faced downward pressure amid broader market rotations.
- New leadership at KR and strong comparable sales at COST signal potential catalysts, contrasting CL's steady but choppy trading.
Introduction
This stock comparison evaluates CL, COST, and KR—key players in consumer staples with distinct models: branded essentials producer, membership warehouse club, and traditional grocer. Investors seeking defensive exposure amid economic uncertainty and market volatility may find value in analyzing their relative performance, valuation sensitivity, and growth drivers. Traders focused on short-term momentum or long-term stability can use this head-to-head to gauge sector positioning, recent catalysts, and risk-reward trade-offs in the current environment.
CL Overview and Recent Performance
Colgate-Palmolive (CL) is a global leader in oral, personal, and home care products, with a market cap of about $68 billion. In recent market activity, CL shares have experienced choppy trading, pulling back from highs near $99 to around $85 amid broader sector rotations and inflation concerns tied to geopolitical tensions. Sentiment has been influenced by strong Q4 2025 results, including revenue beats and emerging market strength, alongside leadership enhancements for healthcare-focused growth. The stock's low beta of 0.26 underscores its defensive appeal, supported by a 2.5% dividend yield and P/E of 32x, though recent 30-day returns reflect caution around premium valuations.
COST Overview and Recent Performance
Costco Wholesale (COST) operates membership-based warehouse clubs, commanding a massive $433 billion market cap. Recent weeks have seen COST shares fluctuate around $970-$980 after Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings beats, fueled by 7-8% comparable sales growth, robust e-commerce, and membership renewals. Factors boosting sentiment include strategic expansions, resilient traffic despite tariff-related lawsuits, and margin resilience. Trading at a lofty P/E of 51x with a modest 0.5% yield, COST's beta near 1.0 reflects higher cyclicality within staples, yet YTD gains highlight its outperformance in value-driven spending.
KR Overview and Recent Performance
The Kroger Co. (KR), a leading U.S. supermarket chain with a $45 billion market cap, has shown strength in recent market activity. Shares surged to 52-week highs near $76 on Q4 revenue of $34.7 billion (up 2.1% YoY) and gross margin expansion to 23.1%, bolstered by the new CEO from Walmart emphasizing affordable fresh food and delivery. Sentiment reflects optimism around market share gains, though forecasts remain conservative. With a P/E of 47x, 1.9% yield, and beta of 0.59, KR balances growth potential and value, leading peers YTD despite recent pullbacks.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
CL, COST, and KR operate in consumer staples but differ sharply in business models: CL's high-margin branded goods contrast COST's low-margin, high-volume memberships and KR's traditional grocery scale. Growth drivers include COST's e-commerce and traffic resilience, KR's leadership-driven efficiencies, and CL's emerging markets. Recent momentum favors KR YTD, but COST shows stability. Risks involve tariff pressures for COST/ KR and inflation for CL. Valuation sensitivity is highest for COST at 51x P/E; KR offers relative value. Market sentiment leans toward volume retailers amid budget-conscious spending.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors KR for its leading YTD relative performance, fresh leadership catalysts, and attractive positioning in grocery demand trends, with consistent Q4 beats and lower relative valuation risks. While COST offers scale and stability, and CL defensive yields, KR's momentum and sector exposure suggest higher probability of near-term outperformance based on observable trends.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
CL’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green whileCOST’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and KR’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- CL’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- COST’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KR’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
CL’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while COST’s TA Score has 7 bullish TA indicator(s), and KR’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- CL’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- COST’s TA Score: 7 bullish, 4 bearish.
- KR’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
CL (@Household/Personal Care) experienced а -0.94% price change this week, while COST (@Discount Stores) price change was -1.62% , and KR (@Food Retail) price fluctuated -6.03% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +2.76%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.20%, and the average quarterly price growth was -8.38%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Discount Stores industry was -0.78%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -2.41%, and the average quarterly price growth was +9.75%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food Retail industry was +0.67%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.48%, and the average quarterly price growth was +2.76%.
Reported Earning Dates
CL is expected to report earnings on May 01, 2026.
COST is expected to report earnings on Jul 29, 2026.
KR is expected to report earnings on Jun 11, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Household/Personal Care (+2.76% weekly)Household/Personal Care companies sell products for home cleaning and/or personal hygiene and grooming purposes. Products of this industry include detergents, shampoos, soaps, cosmetics, fabric conditioners and infant care fragrances. Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Estee Lauder and Colgate-Palmolive are some of the biggest names in the business. A lot of the products become a necessary part of people’s daily routine, and therefore the industry is relatively less vulnerable to macroeconomic downturns. At the same time, product quality, consumer safety, and ease of use are extremely critical factors for a company to survive competition and earn recognition in this industry.
@Discount Stores (-0.78% weekly)Companies in the discount stores industry specialize in offering substantial discounts on a vast array of retail products. Some companies in this industry also operate general merchandise warehouse clubs. Products sold at discount stores are typically similar to those of any department store, but the pricing of the goods is generally much lower (and hence the name “discount”). Think Dollar General Corporation, Dollar Tree, Inc. and Five Below, Inc. Many discount stores target low-income households and/or price-sensitive consumers as their potential market. Discount stores’ profitability could hinge on factors like competitive pricing, sufficient locations, healthy revenue per square foot, and effective advertisement. These store operators could have an edge over other retailers during financial crises or recessions, when many consumers could be looking for less expensive alternatives.
@Food Retail (+0.67% weekly)The food retail industry includes companies that sell food, beverage and household products. Items sold include grocery, gourmet food, fresh produce, and frozen food. Kroger Co., George Weston Ltd., Grocery Outlet Holding Corp., and Sprouts Farmers Markets, Inc. are examples of major food retailers. While e-commerce companies like Amazon have increasingly been ramping-up offerings in the food retail space, several traditional players have also been expanding their online presence to stand their ground against rising competition.
| CL | COST | KR | |
| Capitalization | 67.7B | 443B | 41.6B |
| EBITDA | 3.96B | 13.7B | 5.43B |
| Gain YTD | 7.386 | 15.944 | 9.365 |
| P/E Ratio | 32.07 | 51.92 | 44.15 |
| Revenue | 20.4B | 280B | 147B |
| Total Cash | 1.29B | 17.2B | 879M |
| Total Debt | 8.55B | 8.1B | 25.2B |
CL | COST | KR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 63 | 18 | 56 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 98 Overvalued | 94 Overvalued | 55 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 66 | 11 | 23 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 5 | 31 | 77 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 56 | 36 | 50 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 39 | 69 | 10 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
KR's Valuation (55) in the Food Retail industry is somewhat better than the same rating for COST (94) in the Specialty Stores industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for CL (98) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that KR's stock grew somewhat faster than COST’s and somewhat faster than CL’s over the last 12 months.
COST's Profit vs Risk Rating (11) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as KR (23) in the Food Retail industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for CL (66) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that COST's stock grew similarly to KR’s and somewhat faster than CL’s over the last 12 months.
CL's SMR Rating (5) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as COST (31) in the Specialty Stores industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for KR (77) in the Food Retail industry. This means that CL's stock grew similarly to COST’s and significantly faster than KR’s over the last 12 months.
COST's Price Growth Rating (36) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as KR (50) in the Food Retail industry, and is in the same range as CL (56) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that COST's stock grew similarly to KR’s and similarly to CL’s over the last 12 months.
KR's P/E Growth Rating (10) in the Food Retail industry is in the same range as CL (39) in the Household Or Personal Care industry, and is somewhat better than the same rating for COST (69) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KR's stock grew similarly to CL’s and somewhat faster than COST’s over the last 12 months.
| CL | COST | KR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 46% | 2 days ago 35% | 2 days ago 63% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 44% | 2 days ago 38% | 2 days ago 68% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 39% | 2 days ago 65% | 2 days ago 49% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 49% | 2 days ago 60% | 2 days ago 39% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 44% | 2 days ago 43% | 2 days ago 47% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 44% | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 53% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 44% | 3 days ago 64% | 6 days ago 57% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 43% | 20 days ago 38% | 2 days ago 47% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 50% | 2 days ago 33% | 2 days ago 69% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 47% | 2 days ago 55% | 2 days ago 58% |
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CL and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, CL has been closely correlated with PG. These tickers have moved in lockstep 72% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is a high statistical probability that if CL jumps, then PG could also see price increases.
COST and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, COST has been loosely correlated with WMT. These tickers have moved in lockstep 62% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if COST jumps, then WMT could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To COST | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | 100% | -3.25% | ||
| WMT - COST | 62% Loosely correlated | -1.83% | ||
| BJ - COST | 46% Loosely correlated | -1.01% | ||
| OLLI - COST | 31% Poorly correlated | -2.68% | ||
| PSMT - COST | 31% Poorly correlated | -2.62% | ||
| TGT - COST | 23% Poorly correlated | -1.73% | ||
More | ||||
KR and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KR has been loosely correlated with ACI. These tickers have moved in lockstep 56% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KR jumps, then ACI could also see price increases.