Which is better, COST or UL?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, Unilever PLC (UL) currently grades higher than COST — 67/100 (B grade) vs 58/100 (C). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — COST wins on Joel Greenblatt; UL wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Peter Lynch, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy COST or UL?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both COST and UL are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is COST better than UL for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, UL currently grades higher — 67/100 vs 58/100, a 9-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between COST and UL on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). COST currently scores 58/100 (C grade); UL scores 67/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, COST or UL?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. COST and UL are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, COST or UL?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are COST and UL both Consumer Defensive stocks?

Yes — both Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) and Unilever PLC (UL) operate in the Consumer Defensive sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this COST vs UL comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

Costco

Unilever

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

COST

Costco

Market cap

$462.12B

Sector

Consumer Staples

Unilever

Market cap

$124.69B

Sector

Consumer Staples

Overall winner

Unilever UL

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	COST	UL	Winner
Warren Buffett	58C	67B	UL
Benjamin Graham	74B	76B	UL
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	COST	UL
Market cap	$462.12B	$124.69B
P/E (TTM)	54.1x	24.3x
EV/EBIT	43.6x	12.9x
ROIC (TTM)	19.11%	15.1%
Gross margin	12.93%	66.95%
Net margin	2.99%	12.25%
Revenue CAGR 5y	8.87%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

COST leads on

Revenue CAGR 5y8.87%vs -0.94%+111%
Debt / Equity0.3xvs 1.9x+87%
Market cap$462.12Bvs $124.69B+73%
EPS CAGR 5y12.72%vs 3.56%

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Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.