DOLLAR GENERAL CORP vs Macy's, Inc., two Discount Stores stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Dollar General runs thousands of small discount boxes in rural America; Macy's runs big department stores in malls. Both trade cheap on earnings, 16.9 times for Dollar General and 10.72 for Macy's, but the cash profiles diverge. Macy's throws off a striking 20.14% free cash yield against Dollar General's already-strong 8.32%, and pays 2.81% to Dollar General's 1.98%. Dollar General earns more on equity, 17.69% to 13.79%, and holds a wider net margin, 3.63% to 2.94%. Book values them differently: 2.99 times for Dollar General, a rock-bottom 1.46 for Macy's. Both carry moderate debt, 0.52 and 0.50. Steady small-box grind versus a cash-heavy turnaround bet.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | DG | M |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $118.83 | $22.65 |
| Market cap | $26.3B | $6.2B |
| Sector | Discount Stores | Discount Stores |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| P/E | 16.8 | 9.4 |
| P/B | 2.98 | 1.28 |
| P/S | 0.61 | 0.27 |
| EV/EBITDA | 8.9 | 3.8 |
| Revenue growth | +4.7% | -0.2% |
| Gross margin | 31.6% | — |
| Operating margin | 5.9% | 2.3% |
| Net margin | 3.6% | 2.9% |
| Return on equity | 17.7% | 13.8% |
| Return on assets | 4.9% | 4.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 12.7% | 9.8% |
| FCF yield | 8.4% | 23.1% |
| Dividend yield | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.52 | 0.50 |
| Current ratio | 1.17 | 1.48 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.37 | 7.58 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 7 / 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.