COST vs DG
Costco and Dollar General, both Consumer Defensive
Costco is the larger company at $422B against $25B. On trailing earnings DG is the cheaper of the two at a P/E of 16.6 against 49.8, a gap that is only a bargain if the two are growing at similar rates. Over the past year DG returned +15% against -6.0% for COST. Ryufin's sector-relative Smart Score puts DG ahead, 8/10 against 5/10.
| Figure | COST | DG |
|---|---|---|
| Last close | $910 | $128 |
| Market cap | $422B | $25B |
| Trailing P/Elower is cheaper for the same earnings, not automatically better | 49.8 | 16.6 |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| 1-year return | -6.0% | +15% |
| 5-year return | +116% | -42% |
| Ryufin Smart Scoresector-relative, 1–10 | 5/10 | 8/10 |
Figures from SEC filings and end-of-day closes. Highlighting marks the higher or lower number, which is not the same as the better investment, a low P/E can be a warning and a high one can be deserved.
Costco
Revenue of $71B in Q3 2026, net income $2.2B. Its largest reported line is Foods And Sundries, 38% of the disclosed total.
Dollar General
Revenue of $11B in Q2 2026, net income $550M. Its largest reported line is Consumables, 82% of the disclosed total.
Open these two in the interactive comparison to add more names, change the period or see the correlation.