§ 04The output · what Costco is worth

Discounting all ten years of FCF plus the terminal value at 8.42% WACC yields enterprise value. Subtract net debt and divide by share count to get per-share equity value — the number you compare to today's stock price.
DCF bridge to equity value
ComponentPV ($B)% of EV
Sum of explicit PVs (FY26–FY35)45.241%
PV of terminal value64.059%
Enterprise value109.2100%
+ Cash & equivalents14.2
– Total debt(6.9)
Equity value116.5
÷ Diluted shares (M)443.5
Implied value / share$263

vs. trading $946.68 — the DCF says Costco is priced at 3.6× intrinsic value.

Sensitivity · WACC × terminal growth
WACC \ g1.5%2.0%2.5%3.0%3.5%
7.4%$281$309$343$386$441
7.9%$253$275$302$335$376
8.4%$229$248$263$297$330
8.9%$209$224$241$262$290
9.4%$191$203$217$234$257

Even at the most generous corner (7.4% WACC, 3.5% g), implied value reaches $441 — still less than half the trading price. The DCF and the market disagree by an order of magnitude.