Dollar General [DG] vs Costco Wholesale [COST] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Dollar General Corporation wins in 13 metrics, Costco Wholesale Corporation wins in 8 metrics, with 0 ties. Dollar General Corporation appears stronger overall.

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Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Dollar General Corporation Costco Wholesale Corporation Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 18.46 52.36 Dollar General Corporation
Price-to-Book Ratio 3.27 26.98 Dollar General Corporation
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 184.67 60.26 Costco Wholesale Corporation
PEG Ratio 0.15 3.84 Dollar General Corporation
EV/EBITDA 12.83 33.01 Dollar General Corporation
Profit Margin (TTM) 3.54% 2.99% Dollar General Corporation
Operating Margin (TTM) 6.08% 3.67% Dollar General Corporation
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 6.08% 3.67% Dollar General Corporation
Return on Equity 18.99% 29.65% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Return on Assets (TTM) 4.55% 8.72% Costco Wholesale Corporation
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $2.39B $7.84B Costco Wholesale Corporation
Dividend Yield 1.64% 0.65% Dollar General Corporation
1-Year Return 2.79% -0.79% Dollar General Corporation
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 0.65 1.56 Dollar General Corporation
Enterprise Value $42.43B $444.30B Costco Wholesale Corporation
EV/Revenue Ratio 0.99 1.55 Dollar General Corporation
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 30.45% 12.76% Dollar General Corporation
Revenue per Share (TTM) $194 $645 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $6.85 $19.21 Costco Wholesale Corporation
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.34 0.98 Dollar General Corporation
Short % of Float 4.61% 1.42% Costco Wholesale Corporation

Dollar General Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Dollar General Corporation1.39%8.96%13.68%-13.69%-12.44%-14.93%
Costco Wholesale Corporation-0.30%0.48%-6.63%-2.23%13.82%14.62%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Dollar General Corporation2.79%-30.14%-46.03%27.48%238.74%405.06%
Costco Wholesale Corporation-0.79%87.60%157.92%530.16%1,133.64%1,727.63%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Dollar General Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

MetricDGCOST
Market Information
Market Cap i$26.88B$450.25B
Market Cap CategoryLarge capMega cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i3,065,4701,939,447
90 Day Avg. Volume i3,569,4831,715,149
Last Close$116.39$979.45
52 Week Range$95.11 - $158.23$844.06 - $1,096.50
% from 52W High-26.44%-10.67%
All-Time High$262.21 (Apr 18, 2022)$1,096.50 (May 19, 2026)
% from All-Time High-55.61%-10.67%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth0.06%0.22%
Quarterly Earnings Growth1.23%0.46%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i0.04%0.03%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.06%0.04%
Return on Equity (TTM) i0.19%0.30%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i184.6760.26
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$38.65$37.28
Cash per Share (MRQ)$5.17$25.16
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$3.63B$15.01B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$2.16B$6.69B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.64%0.65%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$2.36$6.36

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Dollar General Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

MetricDG (Apr 24, 2026)COST (Apr 24, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i18.4652.36
Forward P/E i15.8644.75
PEG Ratio i0.153.84
Price to Sales (TTM) i0.651.56
Price to Book (MRQ) i3.2726.98
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$26.88B$450.25B
Enterprise Value i$42.43B$444.30B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i0.991.55
Enterprise to EBITDA i12.8333.01
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.340.98
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$38.65$37.28

Financial Statements Comparison: Dollar General Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricDG (2026)COST (2025)
Revenue/Sales i42.72B275.24B
Cost of Goods Sold i29.62B239.89B
COGS % of Revenue i69.3%87.2%
Gross Profit i13.10B35.35B
Gross Margin i30.7%12.8%
Research & Development iN/AN/A
Operating Income (EBIT) i2.20B10.38B
Operating Margin i5.2%3.8%
EBITDA i3.24B13.31B
EBITDA Margin i7.6%4.8%
Pre-Tax Income i1.96B10.82B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i4.6%3.9%
Income Tax i452.28M2.72B
Income Tax % of Revenue i1.1%1.0%
Net Income (Profit) i1.51B8.10B
Profit Margin i3.5%2.9%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricDG (2026)COST (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i1.14B14.16B
Total Current Assets i7.90B38.38B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i18.5%13.9%
Total Current Liabilities i6.96B37.11B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i16.3%13.5%
Long-Term Debt i14.17B8.17B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i33.2%3.0%
Total Shareholders Equity i8.51B29.16B
Retained Earnings i4.40B22.65B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i10.3%8.2%
Property, Plant & Equipment i11.29B2.73B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricDG (2026)COST (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i3.39B13.45B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i7.9%4.9%
Capital Expenditures i-1.24B-5.50B
Free Cash Flow i2.39B7.84B
FCF Margin i5.6%2.8%
Debt Repayment i-1.68B-1.11B
Common Stock Repurchase iN/A-903.00M

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricDGCOST
Shares Short i8.97M6.30M
Short Ratio i2.433.78
Short % of Float i4.61%1.42%
Shares Outstanding i220.22M443.65M
Float Shares i218.61M440.92M
% Held by Insiders i0.28%0.17%
% Held by Institutions i101.35%72.54%
% Held by Public i-1.63%27.29%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Dollar General Corporation vs Costco Wholesale Corporation

MetricDGCOST
Last 12-Month Dividend i$2.36$6.36
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i1.64%0.65%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$2.36$9.94
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.52%0.30%
3-Year Total Dividends i$7.08$29.82
Ex-Dividend DateJan 06, 2026Jan 30, 2026