Is COST or DG cheaper?

On trailing earnings, DG is cheaper: COST trades at a 49.41 P/E and DG at 16.24.

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 5.03%.

Does COST or DG pay a bigger dividend?

COST yields 0.55% and DG yields 2.06% 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 3.63%.

Which has been the better investment, COST or DG?

Over the past 10-year, COST delivered the higher annualized total return — COST at 21.26% versus DG at 3.68%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

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

DG leads on 12 of 17 compared metrics.

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 June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

COST

Costco Wholesale Corporation

$435.65B

$982.35Consumer Defensive

Dollar General Corporation

$25.32B

$114.80Consumer Defensive

Total return — COST vs DG

growth of $100 · last 17y

COST +1507.2%DG +397.0%COST compounded faster

COST DG

COST vs DG: by the numbers

•COST is the larger company ($435.65B vs $25.32B market cap).
•DG trades at the lower earnings multiple (16.24 vs 49.41 P/E).
•DG converts more revenue to profit (3.63% vs 3.01% net margin).
•COST grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.48% vs 5.03% CAGR).
•DG pays the higher dividend yield (2.06% vs 0.55%).

Which is better, COST or DG?

Metric tally: COST 5 · DG 12

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueDG(lower P/E)

GrowthCOST(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeDG(higher dividend yield)

QualityCOST(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	COST	DG
P/E ratio	49.41	16.24●
Forward P/E	43.40	14.40●
P/S ratio	1.49	0.59●
P/B ratio	13.03	2.88●
PEG ratio	5.23	0.61●
EV / EBITDA	29.43	13.07●
FCF yield	2.02%	11.38%●

Profitability

Metric	COST	DG
Gross margin	12.88%	30.83%●
Operating margin	3.82%	5.26%●
Net margin	3.01%	3.63%●
ROE	26.38%●	17.69%
ROIC	19.44%●	6.64%

Dividends

Metric	COST	DG
Dividend yield	0.55%	2.06%●
Payout ratio	29.44%	34.35%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	COST	DG
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	9.48%●	5.03%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	15.04%●	-8.48%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	4.95%	10.79%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	21.56%●	-9.86%

Frequently asked

Which is better, COST or DG?: It depends on your goal. value: DG (lower P/E); growth: COST (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: DG (higher dividend yield); quality: COST (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, DG leads 12 to 5.
Is COST or DG cheaper?: On trailing earnings, DG is cheaper: COST trades at a 49.41 P/E and DG at 16.24.
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 5.03%.
Does COST or DG pay a bigger dividend?: COST yields 0.55% and DG yields 2.06% 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 3.63%.
Which has been the better investment, COST or DG?: Over the past 10-year, COST delivered the higher annualized total return — COST at 21.26% versus DG at 3.68%. 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 Dividend Yield Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest FCF Yield 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 June 13, 2026.