DOLLAR GENERAL CORP vs PriceSmart, Inc., two Discount Stores stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Both chase low-income value shoppers, one through small US discount boxes, the other through Latin American warehouse clubs. Dollar General keeps a wider 3.63% net margin against PriceSmart's fee-thin 2.82% and earns more on equity, 17.69% to 11.7%. The valuation gap is wide: Dollar General at 16.9 times earnings and 2.99 times book, PriceSmart at a rich 38.68 and 4.45. Dollar General's free cash yield of 8.32% dwarfs PriceSmart's 1.43%, and it pays 1.98% to PriceSmart's 0.64%. PriceSmart runs lighter debt, 0.15 to 0.52. The cheaper, cash-generating small-box format versus the pricier emerging-market club still building scale.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | DG | PSMT |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $118.83 | $196.71 |
| Market cap | $26.3B | $6.0B |
| Sector | Discount Stores | Discount Stores |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +18.6% |
| P/E | 16.8 | 37.8 |
| P/B | 2.98 | 4.28 |
| P/S | 0.61 | 1.05 |
| EV/EBITDA | 8.9 | 17.0 |
| Revenue growth | +4.7% | +10.2% |
| Gross margin | 31.6% | — |
| Operating margin | 5.9% | 4.4% |
| Net margin | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| Return on equity | 17.7% | 11.5% |
| Return on assets | 4.9% | 6.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 12.7% | 12.4% |
| FCF yield | 8.4% | 1.2% |
| Dividend yield | 2.0% | 0.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.52 | 0.18 |
| Current ratio | 1.17 | 1.28 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.37 | 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.