Costco Wholesale's (NASDAQ: COST) stock price is up roughly 203% over the last five years, a result that puts this retailer on par with some of the most prominent names in tech. That's especially impressive considering that direct retail rivals like Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Target saw share price gains of just 82% and 79% over that same period. While this established company operates relatively conservatively and gives off the impression of being a value stock, it's more accurate to label Costco as a growth stock.

It's probably also fair to say Costco is a relatively expensive growth stock at the moment. While its five-year stock price run-up has been excellent for long-term shareholders, it has also raised Costco's valuation to the point where would-be new buyers might want to be wary.

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Source Fool.com