$1106.21+1.28% today
- 5Y
- +124.53%
- $10K became
- $22,453
BUYBULL
COST vs SPY
Total return with dividends reinvested · 5Y
COST
SPY
$754.37-0.36% today
- 5Y
- +72.62%
- $10K became
- $17,262
Return and risk 5Y
| Ticker | $10K became | Total | Per year | Volatility | Worst drop | Off high now | Best year | Worst year | Years up | Corr. with COST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | $22,453 | +124.53% | +17.58% | 23.0% | -31.40% | +0.00% | +50.10% 2023 | -18.91% 2022 | 50% | — |
| SPY | $17,262 | +72.62% | +11.55% | 17.3% | -24.49% | -3.17% | +26.73% 2023 | -18.64% 2022 | 75% | 0.49 |
COST
- $10K became
- $22,453
- Total
- +124.53%
- Per year
- +17.58%
- Volatility
- 23.0%
- Worst drop
- -31.40%
- Off high now
- +0.00%
- Best year
- +50.10% 2023
- Worst year
- -18.91% 2022
SPY
- $10K became
- $17,262
- Total
- +72.62%
- Per year
- +11.55%
- Volatility
- 17.3%
- Worst drop
- -24.49%
- Off high now
- -3.17%
- Best year
- +26.73% 2023
- Worst year
- -18.64% 2022
Per year: compound annual growth rate, needs a year of history. Volatility: yearly spread of daily returns. Best and worst years: full calendar years only.
Drawdown from peak 5Y
0%-20%-40%
2021-112026-11
Correlation of daily returns
COSTSPYCOST1.000.49SPY0.491.00
1 moves together, 0 unrelated, negative moves opposite. Lower means more diversification.
Trailing returns up to 5 years
| Ticker | 1Y | 2Y | 3Y | 5Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COST | — | — | — | — |
| SPY | — | — | — | — |
Calendar-year returns best each year in bold
| Year | COST | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| No full years in this range yet. | ||
More comparisons
About this comparison
Summary, desk note and 6 common questions.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) total return over 5Y: COST +124.53%, SPY +72.62%. Regime COST BULL. As of Nov 13, 2026. Research only.
Costco Wholesale (COST) closed at $1,092.2 as of 2026‑11‑12, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) finished at $757.1 on the same date. Over the past five years the total‑return overlay—capturing dividends and splits—has lifted COST by +121.7% versus +73.2% for SPY, underscoring the retailer’s stronger compounded gain despite a modest 0.52% dividend yield. Costco’s balance sheet shows a ROIC of 36.4% and a quality score of 41.47, whereas SPY’s quality metric sits at 53.60, reflecting the ETF’s diversified exposure to large‑cap U.S. equities. The overlay signals a BUY direction for COST (Score 5) with a “Dividend Compounder (blended)” archetype, while SPY carries a SELL signal (Score ‑1) and is classified as “Balanced.” Readers can open the individual stock pages for full overlay methodology and deeper analysis.
What does the COST vs SPY overlay show?
LOPJLB overlays COST vs SPY as total return (dividends and splits) from the first adjusted close in the selected 5Y window. Each path starts at 0% so you can read relative holding performance, not raw tape price.
Is this holding return or tape close?
Holding return. The series uses split- and dividend-adjusted close (Yahoo-style backward adjustment) when dividend coverage is sufficient, otherwise it falls back to tape close. Candles and technical overlays on /chart stay tape.
Which windows are public?
Public visitors can share 1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y, and 5Y. MAX is Research+. Direction and regime in the table follow the desk ladder: SPY25 on Free, full book on Essential+.
How do I read the drawdown, period, and annual tables?
Drawdowns are current and worst peak-to-trough on the visible range. Periods are calendar lookbacks (1Y / 2Y / 3Y / 5Y, plus 10Y on MAX) from the last bar. Annual is calendar-year holding return, with the latest year labeled YTD.
How has COST vs SPY performed on a normalized basis?
COST vs SPY holding-return overlay: 5Y COST +124.53% · SPY +72.62%; worst drawdown COST -31.40% · SPY -24.49%; YTD COST +30.22% · SPY +11.29%. Numbers update from the live compare-series book.
Is ticker compare investment advice?
No. The overlay is research context only — not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.