Advertisement
COST or KO or KVUE
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs. The Coca-Cola Company (KO) vs. Kenvue Inc. (KVUE) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- COST leads with robust YTD gains of 16.32% and strong Q2 fiscal 2026 earnings, driven by membership growth and resilient sales amid volatility.
- KO shows steady performance with 12.08% YTD return, supported by brand strength and analyst upgrades, though recent months reflect modest pullbacks.
- KVUE trails YTD at 2.56%, facing legal headwinds despite Q4 beats and price target hikes to $19.
- All three exhibit defensive consumer positioning, but COST outperforms on growth momentum while KO offers valuation stability at lower PE.
- Recent market volatility from geopolitical tensions impacts costs, yet membership-driven COST and staple brands buoy relative performance.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines COST, KO, and KVUE, three consumer defensive giants spanning retail, beverages, and health products. Investors seeking stability in volatile markets—such as those influenced by geopolitical tensions and sector rotations—may value their resilient business models. Traders analyzing relative performance, valuation sensitivity, and recent earnings beats will find insights into momentum, risk factors, and market positioning. With COST at a premium PE and others more attractively valued, this analysis highlights trade-offs for portfolio diversification or tactical plays.
COST Overview and Recent Performance
Costco Wholesale Corporation operates membership warehouses globally, offering bulk goods from groceries to electronics. Its business thrives on high renewal rates and low-markup volume sales. In recent market activity, shares traded around $1,002 within a 52-week range of $844-$1,067, posting 16.32% YTD and 11.43% one-year returns. Strong Q2 fiscal 2026 results showed revenue up 8.3% and net income rising 11.3%, fueled by 6.7% comparable sales growth excluding gas and FX. Resilience amid volatility stems from the membership model, though geopolitical risks like Middle East tensions could elevate costs. Sentiment remains positive, with shares outperforming retail peers YTD.
KO Overview and Recent Performance
The Coca-Cola Company dominates nonalcoholic beverages, with a portfolio spanning sparkling drinks, waters, and juices sold worldwide via bottling partners. Trading near $78 in a 52-week range of $65-$82, it delivered 12.08% YTD and 15.78% one-year gains. Recent weeks featured board changes and a pivot to zero-sugar variants, alongside analyst upgrades lifting targets to $90. Steady dividend growth and brand moats support performance, though modest monthly dips reflect broader consumer shifts. Defensive appeal shines in uncertain environments, with outperformance versus sector averages.
KVUE Overview and Recent Performance
Kenvue Inc., spun from Johnson & Johnson, focuses on consumer health via brands like Tylenol, Neutrogena, and Listerine across self-care, skin, and essential health. Shares hover at $17.72 in a 52-week range of $14-$25, with 2.56% YTD but 21.30% one-year returns. Q4 2025 revenue hit $3.78 billion, beating estimates and prompting targets to $19 from Barclays and UBS. Tylenol litigation and peer lag temper sentiment, yet sales growth across segments signals underlying strength amid acquisition talks with Kimberly-Clark.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron’s Trending AI Robots page curates the top 25 AI trading bots from over 351 total, selected by AI for superior performance in current conditions. These bots trade thousands of tickers with diverse styles—from swing and pattern recognition on 15-minute charts to fundamental analysis on hourly frames—spanning sectors like semiconductors, aerospace, and consumer staples. Standouts include a 3-ticker bot with +208% annualized return and 76% win rate, or multi-ticker strategies hitting +130% annualized with profit factors up to 25.83 and win rates to 95%. Ideal for copy trading, they adapt via risk management for stocks, ETFs, and crypto. Explore Trending AI Robots to identify bots matching your timeframe and risk profile.
Head-to-Head Comparison
COST’s warehouse model drives growth via memberships but exposes it to retail cycles and high PE (52x), contrasting KO’s asset-light bottling network and steady 25.6x valuation with dividend reliability. KVUE (23x PE) leverages iconic health brands yet grapples with litigation risks absent in peers. Growth favors COST (16% YTD), stability KO (global diversification), while KVUE lags on momentum but eyes M&A upside. All share consumer defensive exposure, but COST leads sentiment amid volatility, KO valuation edge, and KVUE higher yield potential.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI currently favors COST due to consistent trend strength, earnings momentum, and outperformance in recent volatility. Its membership-driven stability and sales growth provide probabilistic edge over KO’s steadiness and KVUE’s risks, though relative positioning could shift with catalysts like geopolitical resolutions.
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 whileKO’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s), and KVUE’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- COST’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KO’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
- KVUE’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 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 7 TA indicator(s) are bullish while KO’s TA Score has 5 bullish TA indicator(s), and KVUE’s TA Score reflects 4 bullish TA indicator(s).
- COST’s TA Score: 7 bullish, 4 bearish.
- KO’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
- KVUE’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
COST (@Discount Stores) experienced а +1.68% price change this week, while KO (@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic) price change was +1.90% , and KVUE (@Household/Personal Care) price fluctuated +1.69% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Discount Stores industry was +0.71%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -1.87%, and the average quarterly price growth was +11.43%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Beverages: Non-Alcoholic industry was +2.02%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -3.13%, and the average quarterly price growth was +164976.25%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +2.02%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was -0.74%, and the average quarterly price growth was -7.71%.
Reported Earning Dates
COST is expected to report earnings on Jul 29, 2026.
KO is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
KVUE is expected to report earnings on May 13, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Discount Stores (+0.71% 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.
@Beverages: Non-Alcoholic (+2.02% 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.
@Household/Personal Care (+2.02% 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.
| COST | KO | KVUE | |
| Capitalization | 458B | 336B | 33.4B |
| EBITDA | 13.7B | 18.7B | 2.99B |
| Gain YTD | 19.841 | 12.598 | 2.201 |
| P/E Ratio | 53.67 | 25.72 | 22.93 |
| Revenue | 280B | 47.9B | 15.1B |
| Total Cash | 17.2B | N/A | 1.06B |
| Total Debt | 8.1B | 45.5B | 8.67B |
COST | KO | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 21 | 13 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 94 Overvalued | 43 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 9 | 9 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 31 | 20 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 35 | 34 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 66 | 70 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 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.
KO's Valuation (43) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is somewhat better than the same rating for COST (94) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KO’s stock grew somewhat faster than COST’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Profit vs Risk Rating (9) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as COST (9) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KO’s stock grew similarly to COST’s over the last 12 months.
KO's SMR Rating (20) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as COST (31) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KO’s stock grew similarly to COST’s over the last 12 months.
KO's Price Growth Rating (34) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry is in the same range as COST (35) in the Specialty Stores industry. This means that KO’s stock grew similarly to COST’s over the last 12 months.
COST's P/E Growth Rating (66) in the Specialty Stores industry is in the same range as KO (70) in the Beverages Non Alcoholic industry. This means that COST’s stock grew similarly to KO’s over the last 12 months.
| COST | KO | KVUE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 33% | 1 day ago 46% | 1 day ago 62% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 37% | 1 day ago 27% | 1 day ago 58% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 67% | 1 day ago 32% | 1 day ago 54% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 63% | 1 day ago 30% | N/A |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 66% | 1 day ago 38% | 1 day ago 55% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 62% | 1 day ago 36% | 1 day ago 61% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 64% | 1 day ago 39% | 1 day ago 55% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 18 days ago 38% | 21 days ago 29% | 11 days ago 64% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 33% | 1 day ago 22% | 1 day ago 50% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 55% | 1 day ago 24% | 1 day ago 61% |
Advertisement
KVUE and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, KVUE has been loosely correlated with KMB. These tickers have moved in lockstep 39% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if KVUE jumps, then KMB could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To KVUE | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KVUE | 100% | +0.52% | ||
| KMB - KVUE | 39% Loosely correlated | +0.99% | ||
| CL - KVUE | 31% Poorly correlated | +0.57% | ||
| PG - KVUE | 30% Poorly correlated | +1.21% | ||
| UL - KVUE | 28% Poorly correlated | +0.36% | ||
| CLX - KVUE | 28% Poorly correlated | +1.85% | ||
More | ||||