COST vs. DG: Costco Wholesale vs. Dollar General Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Costco Wholesale (COST) with Dollar General (DG) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

COST

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
1-Year Return	-1.48%	4.73%

Risk

Drawdown

COST

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
1-Year Volatility	18.83%	34.84%
Beta	0.87	0.25
3-Month Avg. Volume	1.98M	3.66M

Company Profile

Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG) are both classified in the Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail sub-industry within the broader Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Profile Item	COST	DG
Name	Costco Wholesale Corporation	Dollar General Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail	Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization	435.65 billion USD	25.32 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	July 9, 1986	November 13, 2009
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 16.24 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 49.51 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

49.51

Max: 49.59
COST: 49.51
Q3: 40.27
Median: 21.91
Q1: 17.31
Min: 11.33

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

16.24

Max: 49.59
Q3: 40.27
Median: 21.91
Q1: 17.31
DG: 16.24
Min: 11.33

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 0.59 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.48 sits in the pricier quartile — COST costs more per dollar of sales.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.48

Max: 1.89
COST: 1.48
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.52
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.02

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.59

Max: 1.89
Q3: 0.91
DG: 0.59
Median: 0.52
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.02

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Dollar General (DG) at 2.86 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 26.35 prices above its benchmark range — COST looks rich relative to book.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

26.35

COST: 26.35
Max: 9.68
Q3: 6.23
Median: 4.10
Q1: 2.15
Min: 0.76

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

2.86

Max: 9.68
Q3: 6.23
Median: 4.10
DG: 2.86
Q1: 2.15
Min: 0.76

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	49.51	16.24
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	1.48	0.59
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	26.35	2.86
Free Cash Flow Yield	1.60%	7.43%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 29.15% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Dollar General (DG) at 18.91% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for COST.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

29.15%

Max: 37.28%
COST: 29.15%
Q3: 22.55%
Median: 14.81%
Q1: 8.71%
Min: -2.30%

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

18.91%

Max: 37.28%
Q3: 22.55%
DG: 18.91%
Median: 14.81%
Q1: 8.71%
Min: -2.30%

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 3.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.01%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.01%

Max: 6.51%
Q3: 3.51%
COST: 3.01%
Median: 2.17%
Q1: 1.27%
Min: -0.12%

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.63%

Max: 6.51%
DG: 3.63%
Q3: 3.51%
Median: 2.17%
Q1: 1.27%
Min: -0.12%

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 5.92% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.67%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.67%

Max: 9.24%
Q3: 5.12%
COST: 3.67%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.19%
Min: -0.11%

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

5.92%

Max: 9.24%
DG: 5.92%
Q3: 5.12%
Median: 3.55%
Q1: 1.19%
Min: -0.11%

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
Return on Equity (TTM)	29.15%	18.91%
Return on Assets (TTM)	8.67%	4.63%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	3.01%	3.63%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	3.67%	5.92%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	12.88%	30.83%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
1-Year Revenue Growth	8.17%	5.20%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	6.64%	4.13%

EPS Growth

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
1-Year EPS Growth	9.96%	34.05%
3-Year EPS CAGR	11.49%	-13.76%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.07 and Dollar General (DG) at 1.17 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.07

Max: 1.52
Q3: 1.36
Median: 1.17
COST: 1.07
Q1: 0.95
Min: 0.60

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.17

Max: 1.52
Q3: 1.36
DG: 1.17
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.95
Min: 0.60

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.60 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Dollar General (DG) at 1.79 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.60

Max: 3.40
Q3: 1.93
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.65
COST: 0.60
Min: 0.00

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.79

Max: 3.40
Q3: 1.93
DG: 1.79
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.65
Min: 0.00

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.07	1.17
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	0.60	1.79
Net Debt / EBITDA	-0.07	4.26

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 2.06% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 0.60% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DG the richer one.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.60%

Max: 4.41%
Q3: 2.02%
Median: 0.66%
COST: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

2.06%

Max: 4.41%
DG: 2.06%
Q3: 2.02%
Median: 0.66%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 27.01% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Dollar General (DG) at 33.38% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

27.01%

Max: 60.00%
Q3: 31.85%
COST: 27.01%
Median: 16.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

33.38%

Max: 60.00%
DG: 33.38%
Q3: 31.85%
Median: 16.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Costco Wholesale (COST) vs. Dollar General (DG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar General (DG)
Metric	COST	DG
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.60%	2.06%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	27.01%	33.38%