DG vs. WMT: Dollar General vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

July 23, 2026

How do Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT) 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 Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Profile Item	DG	WMT
Name	Dollar General Corporation	Walmart Inc.
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	27.18 billion USD	878.49 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	November 13, 2009	August 25, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WMT

GSPC

Dollar General (DG) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: 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 Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
Total Return (1Y)	16.82%	16.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-7.69%	29.28%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-9.79%	20.12%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WMT

GSPC

Dollar General (DG) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	36.18%	24.54%
Beta (5Y)	0.23	0.61
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-72.61%	-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.40M	22.03M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

DG and WMT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.35	0.50
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.54	0.74

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Walmart (WMT) at 24.13% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Dollar General (DG) at 18.91% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WMT.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

24.13%

Max: 37.28%
WMT: 24.13%
Q3: 22.55%
Median: 14.81%
Q1: 8.71%
Min: -2.30%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 3.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 3.14%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.63%

Max: 6.51%
DG: 3.63%
Q3: 3.43%
Median: 2.27%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -0.12%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.14%

Max: 6.51%
Q3: 3.43%
WMT: 3.14%
Median: 2.27%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -0.12%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 5.92% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 4.22%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

5.92%

Max: 9.24%
DG: 5.92%
Q3: 5.36%
Median: 3.67%
Q1: 1.28%
Min: -0.11%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

4.22%

Max: 9.24%
Q3: 5.36%
WMT: 4.22%
Median: 3.67%
Q1: 1.28%
Min: -0.11%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
ROE (TTM)	18.91%	24.13%
ROA (TTM)	4.63%	6.84%
Net Margin (TTM)	3.63%	3.14%
Operating Margin (TTM)	5.92%	4.22%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.83%	24.98%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Dollar General (DG) at 5.20% and Walmart (WMT) at 4.73% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Dollar General (DG) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Dollar General (DG) at 34.05% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 13.28% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for DG.

Dollar General (DG) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.20%	4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.13%	5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	34.05%	13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-13.76%	24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dollar General (DG) at 1.17 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Walmart (WMT) at 0.77 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WMT.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.17

Max: 1.52
Q3: 1.35
DG: 1.17
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.97
Min: 0.60

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max: 1.52
Q3: 1.35
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.97
WMT: 0.77
Min: 0.60

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Dollar General (DG) at 1.79 and Walmart (WMT) at 0.75 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.79

Max: 3.40
Q3: 1.88
DG: 1.79
Median: 1.35
Q1: 0.68
Min: 0.00

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.75

Max: 3.40
Q3: 1.88
Median: 1.35
WMT: 0.75
Q1: 0.68
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.17	0.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.79	0.75
Net Debt / EBITDA	4.26	1.45

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 1.89% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Walmart (WMT) at 0.85% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DG the richer one.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.89%

Max: 4.01%
DG: 1.89%
Q3: 1.73%
Median: 0.26%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.85%

Max: 4.01%
Q3: 1.73%
WMT: 0.85%
Median: 0.26%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Dollar General (DG) at 33.38% and Walmart (WMT) at 33.54% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

33.38%

Max: 60.00%
DG: 33.38%
Q3: 30.32%
Median: 12.02%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

33.54%

Max: 60.00%
WMT: 33.54%
Q3: 30.32%
Median: 12.02%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.89%	0.85%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	33.38%	33.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 17.63 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 39.57 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

17.63

Max: 52.05
Q3: 36.20
Median: 21.57
Q1: 18.03
DG: 17.63
Min: 12.01

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

39.57

Max: 52.05
WMT: 39.57
Q3: 36.20
Median: 21.57
Q1: 18.03
Min: 12.01

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dollar General (DG) at 0.63 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 1.21 sits in the pricier quartile — WMT costs more per dollar of sales.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.63

Max: 1.81
Q3: 0.88
DG: 0.63
Median: 0.50
Q1: 0.25
Min: 0.02

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.21

Max: 1.81
WMT: 1.21
Q3: 0.88
Median: 0.50
Q1: 0.25
Min: 0.02

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dollar General (DG) at 3.07 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 9.32 carries an above-peer premium to book — WMT is pricier on assets.

DG

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.07

Max: 9.32
Q3: 6.34
Median: 4.11
DG: 3.07
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.65

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

9.32

WMT: 9.32
Max: 9.32
Q3: 6.34
Median: 4.11
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.65

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Dollar General (DG) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	DG	WMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	17.63	39.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	0.63	1.21
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.07	9.32
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	6.93%	0.78%