Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or DG?

DG has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.51 and DG at 16.20. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, COST or DG?

Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus DG at 5.32%.

Does COST or DG pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.61% and DG yields 1.92% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is COST or DG more profitable?

DG runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus DG at 3.90%.

How have COST and DG total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.56% and DG delivered 7.16% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) vs Dollar General Corporation (DG)

A side-by-side comparison of Costco Wholesale Corporation and Dollar General Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 11, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

COST

Costco Wholesale Corporation

$401.25B

$904.77Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Dollar General Corporation

$27.48B

$124.58Consumer DefensiveDelayed quote: Sep 11, 2026, 3:59 PM EDT

Total return — COST vs DG

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

COST +528.3% (+20.2%/yr)DG +93.7% (+6.8%/yr)COST compounded faster over this window

COST DG

COST vs DG: by the numbers

•COST is the larger company ($401.25B vs $27.48B market cap).
•DG trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (16.20 vs 45.51 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•DG converts more revenue to profit (3.90% vs 3.01% net margin).
•COST grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.48% vs 5.32% CAGR).
•DG pays the higher dividend yield (1.92% vs 0.61%).

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	COST	DG
P/E ratio	45.51	16.20
Forward P/E	39.92	15.81
P/S ratio	1.37	0.63
P/B ratio	11.97	2.96
EV / EBITDA	28.32	11.77
FCF yield	2.19%	9.83%

Profitability

Metric	COST	DG
Gross margin	12.88%	31.16%
Operating margin	3.82%	5.59%
Net margin	3.01%	3.90%
ROE	26.38%	18.34%
ROIC	19.01%	7.47%

Dividends

Metric	COST	DG
Dividend yield	0.61%	1.92%
Payout ratio	27.87%	30.69%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	DG
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%	5.32%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%	-8.48%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	18.33%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	14.89%	-9.30%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, COST or DG?: DG has the lower trailing P/E: COST trades at 45.51 and DG at 16.20. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, COST or DG?: Over the past five years, COST grew revenue faster — COST at a 9.48% CAGR versus DG at 5.32%.
Does COST or DG pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.61% and DG yields 1.92% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is COST or DG more profitable?: DG runs the higher net margin — COST at 3.01% versus DG at 3.90%.
How have COST and DG total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, COST delivered 20.56% and DG delivered 7.16% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full COST analysis Full DG analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Costco Wholesale P/E ratio Dollar General P/E ratio Costco Wholesale dividend yield Dollar General dividend yield Costco Wholesale ROE Dollar General ROE Costco Wholesale operating margin Dollar General operating margin Costco Wholesale revenue growth Dollar General revenue growth Costco Wholesale free cash flow Dollar General free cash flow

Costco Wholesale & Dollar General appear in these rankings

Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 11, 2026.