Investment Potential of Costco, Altria, and Walmart
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 17 2026
0mins
Should l Buy COST?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Costco's Strong Performance: Over the past five years, Costco's stock has generated total returns of approximately 220%, compared to 82% for the S&P 500, indicating robust growth potential in the market, despite its current P/E ratio of 49.5, which may be seen as overvalued.
- Altria's Dividend Appeal: With a dividend yield of 6.2%, Altria's shares have risen 15% over the past year, and when including dividend reinvestment, the total return reaches 23%, showcasing its solid performance in consumer staples, despite competitive pressures.
- Walmart's E-commerce Transformation: Walmart's global e-commerce net sales grew by 24% in 2025, accounting for 23% of total sales, demonstrating its successful transition into an e-commerce giant, although concerns about its current valuation persist with a P/E ratio of 42.
- Future Growth Potential: Costco, Altria, and Walmart all exhibit strong growth potential in their respective sectors, with Costco's dividend growth rate at 12% to 13%, Altria expanding its market through new products, and Walmart enhancing operational efficiency through AI technology, all of which could drive future stock price increases.
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Analyst Views on COST
Wall Street analysts forecast COST stock price to rise
24 Analyst Rating
19 Buy
4 Hold
1 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 983.860
Low
769.00
Averages
1061
High
1205
Current: 983.860
Low
769.00
Averages
1061
High
1205
About COST
Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) operates membership warehouses and e-commerce sites that offer a selection of nationally branded and private-label products in a wide range of categories. The Company buys the majority of its merchandise directly from suppliers and route it to cross-docking consolidation points (depots) or directly to its warehouses. It operates 891 warehouses, including 614 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 108 in Canada, 40 in Mexico, 35 in Japan, 29 in the United Kingdom, 19 in Korea, 15 in Australia, 14 in Taiwan, seven in China, five in Spain, two in France, and one each in Iceland, New Zealand and Sweden. It also operates e-commerce sites in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Australia. The Company provides wide selection of merchandise, plus the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- S&P 500 Performance Review: The S&P 500 has faced nearly a 6% decline in March, marking its fifth consecutive weekly loss, yet it narrowly avoids entering correction territory, with upcoming job reports expected to provide insights into economic health.
- Meta Platforms Investment Advice: Morgan Stanley recommends buying Meta Platforms, asserting that sentiment has bottomed out, and despite the company facing two litigation losses last week that impacted stock prices, early trading shows a slight recovery, indicating renewed investor confidence.
- Oracle's Positive Outlook: Bernstein analysts view Oracle's cloud and database sectors as potential AI winners, setting a price target of $319, which is more than double Friday's closing price of nearly $140, reflecting strong market confidence in its growth prospects.
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- Consumer Staples Resilience: Walmart and Costco, as consumer staples giants, have seen their stock prices increase over 10% year-to-date, demonstrating their ability to attract consumers under inflationary pressures, which underscores their resilience and market appeal in uncertain economic conditions.
- Micron Technology's Surprising Gains: Despite a recent pullback, Micron Technology's shares remain significantly up year-to-date, driven by high demand for its high-bandwidth memory and NAND flash memory crucial for AI infrastructure, indicating the potential of tech stocks in the current market landscape.
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- Inflation-Protected ETF: The Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) focuses on short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, delivering only a 3.15% return over the past decade, yet effectively safeguards investors' purchasing power during market downturns, with an annual expense ratio of just 0.03%.
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- Dividend Growth ETF: The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index with 338 stocks, although it carries sell-off risks during market volatility, it has historically outperformed the S&P 500 and has a low annual expense ratio of 0.04%.
See More
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- Strong Energy Performance: Following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran that caused oil and gas prices to soar, ExxonMobil and Chevron have seen their stock prices rise approximately 40% year-to-date, making the energy sector the only S&P 500 sector to deliver double-digit gains, significantly supporting the index's performance.
- Consumer Staples Resilience: Amid rising inflation pressures, Walmart and Costco have both seen stock price increases of over 10% year-to-date, indicating that consumers still turn to these low-price retailers when tightening their budgets, thereby enhancing their positions within the S&P 500.
- Micron Technology's Unexpected Performance: Despite a recent pullback, Micron Technology's stock remains significantly up year-to-date, primarily due to its high-bandwidth memory and NAND flash memory being critical for AI infrastructure, making it the highest-weighted tech stock outside the
See More
Market Dynamics and Investment Opportunities Analysis
- Market Opening Outlook: The S&P 500 is set for a higher open as President Trump signals progress in U.S.-Iran war talks, reflecting investor optimism despite typically rising oil prices dragging down stocks, indicating a potential shift in market sentiment.
- S&P 500 Performance Review: The S&P 500 has faced nearly a 6% decline in March, marking its fifth consecutive weekly loss, yet it narrowly avoids entering correction territory, with upcoming job reports expected to provide insights into economic health.
- Meta Platforms Investment Advice: Morgan Stanley recommends buying Meta Platforms, asserting that sentiment has bottomed out, and despite the company facing two litigation losses last week that impacted stock prices, early trading shows a slight recovery, indicating renewed investor confidence.
- Oracle's Positive Outlook: Bernstein analysts view Oracle's cloud and database sectors as potential AI winners, setting a price target of $319, which is more than double Friday's closing price of nearly $140, reflecting strong market confidence in its growth prospects.
See More
Latest Wall Street Rating Updates
- UBS Upgrade: UBS upgrades Adecoagro from Neutral to Buy, raising the price target from $8 to $16.2, indicating the company is poised to benefit from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which is expected to enhance its financial performance.
- HSBC Bullish on Carnival: HSBC upgrades Carnival from Hold to Buy, asserting that the current share price undervalues the resilience of experience-led demand, which is likely to improve the company's market performance in the near future.
- Morgan Stanley Reiterates Meta: Morgan Stanley lowers its price target for Meta from $825 to $775 but maintains it as a top investment idea, suggesting that market sentiment has bottomed out, making it an opportune time to buy.
- Deutsche Bank Upgrades Colgate: Deutsche Bank upgrades Colgate-Palmolive from Hold to Buy, highlighting the company's core business as having long-term investment value and the ability to weather current market volatility effectively.
See More
Five Stocks Supporting the S&P 500
- Strong Energy Performance: Following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, oil and gas prices surged, with ExxonMobil and Chevron both rising approximately 40% year-to-date, highlighting the critical role of the energy sector in supporting the S&P 500 amid market volatility.
- Consumer Staples Resilience: Walmart and Costco, as consumer staples giants, have seen their stock prices increase over 10% year-to-date, demonstrating their ability to attract consumers under inflationary pressures, which underscores their resilience and market appeal in uncertain economic conditions.
- Micron Technology's Surprising Gains: Despite a recent pullback, Micron Technology's shares remain significantly up year-to-date, driven by high demand for its high-bandwidth memory and NAND flash memory crucial for AI infrastructure, indicating the potential of tech stocks in the current market landscape.
- Importance of Market Diversification: While these five stocks have provided some support to the S&P 500, the index still faces potential correction risks, emphasizing the importance of portfolio diversification to navigate future market fluctuations.
See More
Vanguard ETFs Shine Amid Market Turbulence
- Safe Haven: The Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) focuses on short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, delivering only a 3.15% return over the past decade, yet it protects capital during market downturns, ensuring investors' purchasing power remains intact against inflation.
- Consumer Staples ETF Outperformance: The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC), holding 104 consumer staples stocks, only fell 4% during the 2022 bear market, significantly outperforming the S&P 500's 19% drop and the Nasdaq's 33%, demonstrating its resilience amid economic uncertainty.
- Attractiveness of High-Quality Dividend Stocks: The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index and currently holds 338 stocks; while it is not immune to market sell-offs, it has historically outperformed the S&P 500 during downturns, with an annual expense ratio of just 0.04%.
- Cost Efficiency Advantage: The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF boasts an annual expense ratio of 0.09%, significantly lower than the average 0.73% for similar funds, making it a preferred choice for investors seeking cost-effective options during turbulent times.
See More
Investment Havens Amid Market Turmoil
- Valuation Risks: The S&P 500's Shiller CAPE ratio is nearing its highest level since the dot-com bubble burst, indicating that market valuations are high, which necessitates caution from investors regarding potential market corrections.
- Inflation-Protected ETF: The Vanguard Short-Term Inflation-Protected Securities ETF (VTIP) focuses on short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, delivering only a 3.15% return over the past decade, yet effectively safeguards investors' purchasing power during market downturns, with an annual expense ratio of just 0.03%.
- Consumer Staples ETF Performance: The Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) holds 104 consumer staples stocks and has historically outperformed the overall market during downturns, finishing 2022 down only 4%, significantly better than the S&P 500's 19% and Nasdaq's 33% declines.
- Dividend Growth ETF: The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index with 338 stocks, although it carries sell-off risks during market volatility, it has historically outperformed the S&P 500 and has a low annual expense ratio of 0.04%.
See More
S&P 500 Avoids Correction Despite Market Pressures
- Strong Energy Performance: Following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran that caused oil and gas prices to soar, ExxonMobil and Chevron have seen their stock prices rise approximately 40% year-to-date, making the energy sector the only S&P 500 sector to deliver double-digit gains, significantly supporting the index's performance.
- Consumer Staples Resilience: Amid rising inflation pressures, Walmart and Costco have both seen stock price increases of over 10% year-to-date, indicating that consumers still turn to these low-price retailers when tightening their budgets, thereby enhancing their positions within the S&P 500.
- Micron Technology's Unexpected Performance: Despite a recent pullback, Micron Technology's stock remains significantly up year-to-date, primarily due to its high-bandwidth memory and NAND flash memory being critical for AI infrastructure, making it the highest-weighted tech stock outside the
See More
