For price-conscious shoppers, a membership to Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) is a must. But when it comes to buying the company's stock, the decision becomes more complicated. While the membership-only retailer is known as one of the best-run companies in the world, its stock is often considered expensive when it comes to valuation.

With that in mind, let's examine Costco's recent performance and key financial metrics to evaluate whether its stock should be considered a buy, sell, or hold.

Over the past decade, Costco stock has had a total return (change in stock price plus dividends) of 490%, more than double the benchmark S 500's total return of 223%. Additionally, it has outperformed competitors  and Walmart's respective returns of 341% and 335%. 

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Source Fool.com