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COST or KMB or KO
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Kimberly-Clark (KMB) vs. Coca-Cola (KO) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- COST leads with strong year-to-date gains of approximately 16%, driven by resilient revenue growth of 9% and warehouse expansion plans.
- KMB has faced headwinds, declining around 20% over six months amid slower revenue growth and integration challenges from its planned Kenvue acquisition.
- KO shows steady performance with year-to-date returns near 10%, supported by organic revenue growth of 5% and expansions in high-growth categories like Fairlife dairy.
- COST trades at a premium valuation (forward P/E around 47), reflecting growth expectations, while KMB offers value at 13x forward P/E with a 5% dividend yield.
- All three provide defensive exposure in consumer staples, but COST's membership model delivers superior momentum in recent market activity.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines COST, KMB, and KO, three stalwarts in consumer staples offering resilience amid market volatility. COST represents membership-based retail, KMB focuses on personal care essentials, and KO dominates beverages. Investors seeking relative performance insights, growth drivers, and risk trade-offs in defensive sectors will find this analysis valuable, particularly as economic uncertainty highlights stable demand for everyday goods. Recent developments underscore contrasts in momentum and valuation sensitivity, aiding informed portfolio positioning.
COST Overview and Recent Performance
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) operates a global chain of membership warehouses, emphasizing bulk sales of groceries, electronics, and essentials through its high-volume, low-margin model. Membership fees provide a stable revenue stream, with renewal rates exceeding 90%. In recent market activity, COST has demonstrated resilience, posting year-to-date gains of about 16% even as broader indices fluctuated. Key influences include 9% revenue growth, robust digital sales, and Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings that beat estimates on strong comparable sales and e-commerce acceleration. Warehouse expansion plans signal long-term growth, bolstering positive sentiment despite a premium valuation.
KMB Overview and Recent Performance
Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) is a leading producer of personal care and consumer tissue products, including brands like Huggies, Kleenex, and Depend. Its portfolio spans baby care, feminine hygiene, and household essentials, with over half of sales from North America. Recent weeks have pressured KMB shares, down roughly 20% over six months due to sluggish organic sales growth of 2.1% in Q4 2025 and tariff impacts. Productivity gains supported adjusted margins, but softer quarterly results and the pending $48.7 billion Kenvue acquisition have tempered sentiment. The company's transformation initiative focuses on cost discipline and higher-margin products amid competitive dynamics.
KO Overview and Recent Performance
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is the world's largest beverage maker, offering sparkling drinks, waters, juices, and dairy under iconic brands like Coca-Cola and Fairlife. It operates in over 200 countries with a franchised bottling model. In recent market activity, KO has maintained stability, with year-to-date returns around 10% and full-year 2025 organic revenues up 5% on 4% price/mix gains. Expansions in protein beverages like Fairlife and digital leadership changes have driven sentiment, though volume growth remains modest at 1%. Steady operating income growth reinforces its defensive appeal.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
COST, KMB, and KO anchor consumer staples but diverge in models: COST's retail volumes contrast KMB and KO's branded CPG (consumer packaged goods) focus. Growth drivers favor COST (membership and e-commerce) over KO's pricing/mix and KMB's productivity. Recent momentum crowns COST, with KO stable and KMB lagging. Risks include COST's high P/E sensitivity to slowdowns, KMB's M&A (mergers and acquisitions) integration, and KO's volume pressures. All offer sector resilience, but COST leads in relative performance while KMB provides yield appeal.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors COST for its superior trend consistency, YTD outperformance, and catalysts like expansion and digital growth amid staples stability. KO follows closely on balanced positioning, while KMB lags due to revenue softness. This probabilistic edge reflects observable momentum rather than guarantees.
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).
COST’s FA Score shows that 2 FA rating(s) are green whileKMB’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and KO’s FA Score reflects 2 green FA rating(s).
- COST’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KMB’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KO’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.
COST’s TA Score shows that 5 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KMB’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and KO’s TA Score reflects 3 bullish TA indicator(s).
- COST’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- KMB’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 3 bearish.
- KO’s TA Score: 3 bullish, 7 bearish.
Price Growth
COST (@Discount Stores) experienced а +0.14% price change this week, while KMB (@Household/Personal Care) price change was +1.60% , and KO (@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic) price fluctuated -2.23% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Discount Stores industry was +2.34%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.71%, and the average quarterly price growth was +7.10%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +0.96%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +3.95%, and the average quarterly price growth was -8.44%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Beverages: Non-Alcoholic industry was -0.77%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.88%, and the average quarterly price growth was +2073.90%.
Reported Earning Dates
COST is expected to report earnings on Jul 29, 2026.
KMB is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
KO is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Discount Stores (+2.34% 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.
@Household/Personal Care (+0.96% 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.
@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic (-0.77% weekly)Non-alcoholic drinks include traces of alcohol or low alcohol content or without alcohol or alcohol removed. Functional Beverages, Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs), Sports Drinks, Fruit Beverages, and Bottled Water are some common types of non-alcoholic beverages. The largest segment in this market is soft drinks (think Pepsi and Coke). Many established companies in this space have also been stepping up production of low to zero-calorie varieties in recent years, to cater to a rising number of health-conscious consumers. Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico Inc, Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. and Monster Beverage Corporation are some major non-alcoholic beverage makers.
| COST | KMB | KO | |
| Capitalization | 444B | 32.8B | 326B |
| EBITDA | 14.1B | 3.11B | 18.7B |
| Gain YTD | 16.109 | -0.822 | 9.084 |
| P/E Ratio | 52.00 | 20.34 | 24.91 |
| Revenue | 286B | 16.4B | 47.9B |
| Total Cash | 18.2B | 774M | N/A |
| Total Debt | 8.17B | 7.3B | 45.5B |
COST | KMB | KO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 18 | 60 | 65 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 94 Overvalued | 15 Undervalued | 41 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 11 | 100 | 12 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 32 | 11 | 20 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 54 | 62 | 52 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 73 | 54 | 78 | |
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.
KMB's Valuation (15) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as KO (41) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for COST (94) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KMB's stock grew similarly to KO’s and significantly faster than COST’s over the last 12 months.
COST's Profit vs Risk Rating (11) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as KO (12) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for KMB (100) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that COST's stock grew similarly to KO’s and significantly faster than KMB’s over the last 12 months.
KMB's SMR Rating (11) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as KO (20) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry, and is in the same range as COST (32) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KMB's stock grew similarly to KO’s and similarly to COST’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Price Growth Rating (52) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as COST (54) in the Specialty Stores industry, and is in the same range as KMB (62) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that KO's stock grew similarly to COST’s and similarly to KMB’s over the last 12 months.
KMB's P/E Growth Rating (54) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as COST (73) in the Specialty Stores industry, and is in the same range as KO (78) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that KMB's stock grew similarly to COST’s and similarly to KO’s over the last 12 months.
| COST | KMB | KO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 40% | 2 days ago 43% | 2 days ago 75% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 68% | 2 days ago 40% | 2 days ago 42% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 47% | 2 days ago 47% | 2 days ago 43% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 56% | 2 days ago 54% | 2 days ago 40% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 65% | 2 days ago 43% | 2 days ago 35% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 62% | 2 days ago 46% | 2 days ago 31% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 63% | 2 days ago 42% | 10 days ago 39% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 5 days ago 38% | 6 days ago 48% | 3 days ago 30% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 43% | 2 days ago 48% | 2 days ago 15% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 2 days ago 51% | 2 days ago 45% | 2 days ago 21% |
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| 1 Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs / NAME | Price $ | Chg $ | Chg % |
| CGRO | 25.25 | 0.96 | +3.93% |
| CoreValues Alpha Greater China Gr ETF | |||
| ASEA | 20.03 | 0.20 | +1.01% |
| Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF | |||
| DFP | 21.08 | 0.18 | +0.86% |
| FLAHERTY & CRUMRINE DYNAMIC PREFERRED AND Income FUND | |||
| RTRE | 25.27 | 0.11 | +0.43% |
| Rareview Total Return Bond ETF | |||
| NEAR | 50.95 | 0.10 | +0.20% |
| iShares Short Duration Bond Active ETF | |||
KMB and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KMB has been loosely correlated with CL. These tickers have moved in lockstep 53% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KMB jumps, then CL could also see price increases.