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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Axfood AB (publ) vs Costco Wholesale: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Costco Wholesale holds the cleaner structural position, with growth as the main driver and profitability adding further support. Axfood AB (publ) still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — Costco Wholesale holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Costco Wholesale's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Peer scores are normalised within each company's primary universe (AXFO.ST: STOXX 600, COST: Nasdaq 100).

Updated 2026-08-16

The comparison is mainly decided in growth, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight. Costco Wholesale Corporation leads by 16 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.82
Similar
Peer-set rank: #5
within Axfood AB (publ)'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

This level of similarity signals a strong structural match, even though some dimensions still separate the two companies.

The strongest overlap appears in margin consistency and investment intensity.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyinvestment intensity
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
AXFO.ST
Axfood AB (publ)
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: STOXX 600
vs
COST
Costco Wholesale Corporation
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Nasdaq 100

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: AXFO.ST vs COST Profitability 62 78 Stability 59 62 Valuation 58 43 Growth 18 94 AXFO.ST COST
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +76
#2 Profitability +16
#3 Valuation +15
#4 Stability +3
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for AXFO.ST and COST Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer AXFO.STCOST Relative valuation Structural strength

Costco Wholesale Corporation still looks cheaper, even though Axfood AB (publ) remains structurally stronger.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where AXFO.ST and COST each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY AXFO.ST Neutral · below norm 0th 50th 100th 47 pct gap COST Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 36th 84th
Today AXFO.ST sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (36th percentile), while COST sits higher in its own history (84th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, AXFO.ST is at a historically more favourable entry position than COST. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Costco Wholesale Corporation ranks near the top of the group on growth; Axfood AB (publ) sits in the weaker half.
Profitability
On profitability, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Costco Wholesale Corporation still sits higher.
Growth — Dominant Gap
AXFO.ST
18
COST
94
Gap+76in favour of COST

Revenue growth reinforces the category-level growth lead.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Axfood AB (publ), with a forward P/E that is 23.4 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

Growth is the clearest driver of the lead, with profitability adding further support — though valuation still provides a real counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the AXFO.ST vs COST comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-driven comparisons

Explore how AXFO.ST and COST each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.