COST vs LUV vs H Stock Comparison

Costco Wholesale, Southwest Airlines and Hyatt Hotels Prices as of Nov 4, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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COST Costco Wholesale Corp /New
$1,046.47 +13.3% 1M +11.2% 1Y
Market cap
$463.86B
P/E
50.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$303.15B
Div. yield
0.55%
Warehouse Clubs Consumer Staples
4 wins
LUV Southwest Airlines Co
$46.43 +11.0% 1M +56.5% 1Y
Market cap
$22.73B
P/E
21.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$31.55B
Div. yield
1.55%
Airlines Industrials
7 wins
H Hyatt Hotels Corp
$190.20 +21.4% 1M +40.5% 1Y
Market cap
$17.88B
P/E
96.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.11B
Div. yield
0.32%
Hotels Consumer Discretionary
1 win

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Southwest Airlines leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Southwest Airlines 7, Costco Wholesale 4, Hyatt Hotels 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCOSTLUVHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $463.86B $22.73B $17.88B COST
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 50.4x 21.6x 96.1x LUV
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 49.3x 17.9x 52.1x LUV
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.1% +14.5% +2.8% LUV
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.0% 3.3% 2.6% LUV
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 21.7% 8.2% -38.0% COST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -1.1x 0.8x -0.8x COST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.55% 1.55% 0.32% LUV
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +11.2% +56.5% +40.5% LUV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +15.3%/yr -2.3%/yr +15.8%/yr H
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 20.4% 43.9% 35.1% COST
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 54/100 26/100 LUV

Percentile Scorecard

COSTLUVH

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCOSTLUVH
Valuation 8 #37 of 40 42 #80 of 137 7 #27 of 29
Growth 76 #10 of 38 84 #21 of 127 40 #16 of 26
Profitability 72 #11 of 37 42 #73 of 125 12 #23 of 26
Financial Health 85 #7 of 40 31 #102 of 147 38 #19 of 30
Shareholder Returns 11 #25 of 28 72 #25 of 88 33 #13 of 19
Overall 50 54 26
  • COST ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • LUV ranked among 150 companies in Transportation
  • H ranked among 31 companies in Travel and Lodging

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCOSTLUVHSPY
1 month +13.3%+11.0%+21.4% -1.0%
3 months +11.1%-4.8%+6.3% -0.4%
6 months +5.1%+11.9%+12.3% +4.5%
Year to date +21.4%+12.3%+18.6% +12.4%
1 year +11.2%+56.5%+40.5% +13.6%
3 years +86.6%+95.9%+81.7% +76.4%
3 years, per year +23.1%+25.1%+22.0% +20.8%
5 years +103.9%-11.1%+107.9% +63.7%
5 years, per year +15.3%-2.3%+15.8% +10.4%
10 years +635.7%+15.0%+275.8% +267.7%
10 years, per year +22.1%+1.4%+14.2% +13.9%

Risk

MeasureCOSTLUVHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 20.4%43.9%35.1% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 19.9%38.2%33.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.181.630.95 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.551.291.15 1.06
Max drawdown, 5Y -31.5%-57.4%-37.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -4.4%-15.3%-5.9% -1.6%
52-week high $1,094.32$54.80$202.09 $779.14
52-week low $850.00$29.67$135.42 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCOSTLUVH
P/E now vs peer median 50.4xmedian 21.1x 21.6xmedian 14.5x 96.1xmedian 23.3x
P/S now vs peer median 1.5xmedian 0.5x 0.7xmedian 1.0x 2.5xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 31.3xmedian 9.9x 8.5xmedian 8.2x -4.5xmedian 15.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 49.4xmedian 16.1x -50.6xmedian 12.9x 97.2xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 13.0xmedian 2.9x 3.1xmedian 1.2x 5.1xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 3.70median 0.99 0.54median 0.64 -3.85median 0.36

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCOSTLUVH
Revenue $303.15B $31.55B $7.11B
Gross profit $38.88B – $1.47B
Operating income $11.69B $1.39B -$5.10B
Net income $9.23B $1.05B $191.00M
Free cash flow $9.38B -$449.00M $184.00M
EPS (diluted) $20.76 $2.13 $1.93
Cash & equivalents $20.21B $3.62B $454.00M
Total debt $6.16B $5.89B $4.43B
Shares (diluted) 444.43M 494.00M 96.35M
Enterprise value $387.14B $8.76B $15.61B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCOSTLUVH
P/E 50.4x 21.6x 96.1x
P/FCF 49.4x -50.6x 97.2x
P/Operating cash flow 29.3x 8.2x 54.5x
P/S 1.5x 0.7x 2.5x
P/B 13.0x 3.1x 5.1x
P/Tangible book 13.0x 3.1x 12.1x
EV/EBITDA 31.3x 8.5x -4.5x
EV/EBIT 38.4x 18.0x -4.3x
EV/Revenue 1.5x 0.8x 3.1x
EV/FCF 47.8x -55.7x 118.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 28.4x 9.1x 66.5x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.70 0.54 -3.85

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCOSTLUVH
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.1% 14.5% 2.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 7.4% 2.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 10.0% – 2.3%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 9.4% – -4.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 12.5% 339.7% 0.7%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 78.6% -85.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 13.9% 177.8% 322.1%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 28.4% -26.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 14.0% 195.8% 309.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 13.6% 40.0% -24.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 18.6% 36.2% 9.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.6% -6.0% -22.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.7% -35.2% 72.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.6% 20.2% -28.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCOSTLUVH
Gross margin 12.8% – 20.7%
EBITDA margin 4.7% 9.4% -67.5%
Operating margin 3.9% 4.4% -71.8%
Pretax margin 4.0% 4.3% 4.6%
Net margin 3.0% 3.3% 2.6%
FCF margin 3.1% -1.4% 2.6%
Operating cash flow margin 5.2% 8.7% 4.6%
Return on equity 26.6% 14.6% 5.4%
Return on assets 10.5% 3.5% 1.4%
Return on invested capital 21.7% 8.2% -38.0%
Return on capital employed 26.7% 8.3% -48.4%
Asset turnover 3.5x 1.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.7x 2.6x 1.7x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% – 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCOSTLUVH
Debt / assets 6.9% 19.3% 32.0%
Debt / equity 0.2x 0.8x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -1.1x 0.8x -0.8x
Debt / FCF 0.7x -13.1x 24.1x
Liabilities / assets 59.8% 76.0% 74.7%
Equity / assets 40.2% 24.0% 25.3%
Interest coverage 80.6x 5.9x -18.2x
Current ratio 1.1x 0.5x 0.6x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.4x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.3x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 9.55 2.26 0.57

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCOSTLUVH
Dividend yield 0.5% 1.6% 0.3%
Net buyback yield 0.2% 5.5% 2.3%
Shareholder yield 0.7% 7.0% 2.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 29.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 30.4%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – -1.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 20.5%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCOSTLUVH
Forward P/E 49.3xFY2027 17.9xFY2026 52.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $21.22FY2027 $2.60FY2026 $3.65FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +2.2%FY2027 +179.6%FY2026 +66.7%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +22.4% +58.8% +39.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $345.44BFY2027 $31.34BFY2026 $7.49BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.0%FY2027 +11.7%FY2026 +5.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.4% +16.7% +6.6%
COST estimates →LUV estimates →H estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCOSTLUVH
Held by institutions 73.2% 92.9% 53.0%
Institutions holding 4,216 933 530
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.0% +4.4% +2.2%
Institutions buying 1,923 477 239
Institutions selling 1,708 282 178
Buyers to sellers 1.13 1.69 1.34
COST holders →LUV holders →H holders →

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

COSTLUVH
COST 1.00 -0.02 0.00
LUV -0.02 1.00 0.46
H 0.00 0.46 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
COST · Warehouse Clubs
+WMTWalmart +BJBJ's Wholesale Club Holdings +PSMTPricesmart
Plot all 24 Airlines stocks → Plot all 42 Hotels stocks →

Related Comparisons

COST vs WMTWalmart COST vs BJBJ's Wholesale Club Holdings COST vs PSMTPricesmart

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, COST, LUV and H?

Costco Wholesale (COST) is the largest by market capitalisation: Costco Wholesale (COST) $463.86B, Southwest Airlines (LUV) $22.73B, Hyatt Hotels (H) $17.88B.

Which stock is cheaper, COST, LUV and H?

Southwest Airlines (LUV) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Costco Wholesale (COST) 50.4x, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 21.6x, Hyatt Hotels (H) 96.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Southwest Airlines (LUV) is cheapest (Costco Wholesale (COST) 49.3x, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 17.9x, Hyatt Hotels (H) 52.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Southwest Airlines (LUV) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Costco Wholesale (COST) +10.1%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) +14.5%, Hyatt Hotels (H) +2.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Southwest Airlines (LUV) has the highest net margin (Costco Wholesale (COST) 3.0%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 3.3%, Hyatt Hotels (H) 2.6%). On return on invested capital, Costco Wholesale (COST) leads (Costco Wholesale (COST) 21.7%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 8.2%, Hyatt Hotels (H) -38.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Southwest Airlines (LUV) returned the most: Costco Wholesale (COST) +11.2%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) +56.5%, Hyatt Hotels (H) +40.5%. Over five years, Hyatt Hotels (H) compounded fastest (Costco Wholesale (COST) +15.3%/yr, Southwest Airlines (LUV) -2.3%/yr, Hyatt Hotels (H) +15.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Southwest Airlines (LUV) has the highest dividend yield: Costco Wholesale (COST) 0.55%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 1.55%, Hyatt Hotels (H) 0.32%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Costco Wholesale (COST) has been the steadiest (Costco Wholesale (COST) 20.4%, Southwest Airlines (LUV) 43.9%, Hyatt Hotels (H) 35.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, COST, LUV and H?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Southwest Airlines (LUV) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.