BURLINGTON STORES, INC. vs PriceSmart, Inc., two Discount Stores stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
One flips discounted apparel through strip-mall stores, the other runs membership warehouses across Latin America. Burlington's off-price model keeps a 5.24% net margin and a punchy 33.98% return on equity; PriceSmart's fee-driven clubs keep 2.82% and earn a modest 11.7%. Both carry rich multiples but from different places: PriceSmart at 38.68 times earnings, Burlington at 32.99, with Burlington the pricier on book, 11.20 against 4.45. PriceSmart pays a token 0.64% dividend and keeps debt at 0.15; Burlington pays 1.84% and carries a heavier 1.03 debt to equity. Higher returns and more leverage on one side, geographic spread and a lighter balance sheet on the other.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | BURL | PSMT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $327.83 | $196.71 |
| Market cap | $21.0B | $6.0B |
| Sector | Discount Stores | Discount Stores |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +18.6% |
| P/E | 33.7 | 37.8 |
| P/B | 11.45 | 4.28 |
| P/S | 1.76 | 1.05 |
| EV/EBITDA | 51.5 | 17.0 |
| Revenue growth | +10.6% | +10.2% |
| Operating margin | — | 4.4% |
| Net margin | 5.2% | 2.8% |
| Return on equity | 34.0% | 11.5% |
| Return on assets | 6.4% | 6.4% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 12.4% |
| FCF yield | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Dividend yield | 1.8% | 0.6% |
| Debt / equity | 1.03 | 0.18 |
| Current ratio | 1.16 | 1.28 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.58 | 6.23 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.