WMT vs COST vs DLTR Stock Comparison

Walmart, Costco Wholesale and Dollar Tree Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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WMT Walmart Inc.
$119.89 +8.5% 1M +12.2% 1Y
Market cap
$956.71B
P/E
43.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$735.84B
Div. yield
0.01%
Discount Stores Consumer Staples
2 wins
COST Costco Wholesale Corp /New
$1,003.32 +10.9% 1M +6.5% 1Y
Market cap
$446.27B
P/E
48.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$303.15B
Div. yield
–
Warehouse Clubs Consumer Staples
3 wins
DLTR Dollar Tree, Inc.
$125.31 +10.7% 1M +24.5% 1Y
Market cap
$23.81B
P/E
14.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$20.07B
Div. yield
–
Discount Stores Consumer Staples
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Dollar Tree leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Dollar Tree 6, Costco Wholesale 3, Walmart 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionWMTCOSTDLTRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $956.71B $446.27B $23.81B WMT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 43.3x 48.4x 14.8x DLTR
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 38.8x 47.2x 16.8x DLTR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.2% +10.1% +8.2% COST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 3.0% 3.0% 8.0% DLTR
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 16.1% 21.7% 25.9% DLTR
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -1.1x 0.6x COST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +12.2% +6.5% +24.5% DLTR
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +19.4%/yr +15.8%/yr +4.0%/yr WMT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 26.6% 20.0% 40.9% COST
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 47/100 51/100 81/100 DLTR

Percentile Scorecard

WMTCOSTDLTR

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisWMTCOSTDLTR
Valuation 10 #36 of 40 8 #37 of 40 64 #15 of 40
Growth 43 #22 of 38 78 #9 of 38 95 #3 of 38
Profitability 75 #10 of 37 72 #11 of 37 100 #1 of 37
Financial Health 64 #15 of 40 85 #7 of 40 49 #21 of 40
Shareholder Returns 44 #16 of 28 11 #25 of 28 98 #1 of 28
Overall 47 51 81
  • WMT ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • COST ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail
  • DLTR ranked among 41 companies in Staples Retail

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodWMTCOSTDLTRSPY
1 month +8.5%+10.9%+10.7% -1.0%
3 months +9.5%+7.3%+4.0% +2.9%
6 months -7.7%-0.8%+20.8% +6.4%
Year to date +7.6%+16.3%+1.9% +11.4%
1 year +12.2%+6.5%+24.5% +13.1%
3 years +120.3%+81.8%+16.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +30.1%+22.1%+5.1% +21.5%
5 years +142.4%+108.2%+21.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +19.4%+15.8%+4.0% +10.9%
10 years +426.3%+573.5%+65.5% +255.2%
10 years, per year +18.1%+21.0%+5.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureWMTCOSTDLTRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 26.6%20.0%40.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 28.3%19.6%36.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.10-0.200.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.460.330.60 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -26.0%-31.5%-64.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.7%-8.3%-11.3% -2.5%
52-week high $134.20$1,094.32$141.21 $779.14
52-week low $100.61$850.00$86.80 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleWMTCOSTDLTR
P/E now vs peer median 43.2xmedian 21.6x 48.3xmedian 21.6x 14.8xmedian 21.6x
P/S now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 0.5x 1.5xmedian 0.5x 1.2xmedian 0.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 20.9xmedian 9.7x 29.9xmedian 9.7x 8.8xmedian 9.7x
P/FCF now vs peer median 70.4xmedian 17.8x 47.4xmedian 17.8x 11.9xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 9.1xmedian 3.0x 12.4xmedian 3.0x 6.9xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median 2.55median 1.06 3.55median 1.06 0.97median 1.06

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsWMTCOSTDLTR
Revenue $735.84B $303.15B $20.07B
Gross profit $185.66B $38.88B $7.77B
Operating income $32.28B $11.69B $2.20B
Net income $22.55B $9.23B $1.61B
Free cash flow $13.51B $9.38B $1.98B
EPS (diluted) $2.77 $20.76 $8.45
Cash & equivalents $11.53B $20.21B $1.06B
Total debt $191.72B $23.19B $2.93B
Shares (diluted) 7.98B 444.43M 190.90M
Enterprise value $913.14B $369.55B $20.43B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricWMTCOSTDLTR
P/E 43.2x 48.3x 14.8x
P/FCF 70.4x 47.4x 11.9x
P/Operating cash flow 22.2x 28.1x 7.5x
P/S 1.3x 1.5x 1.2x
P/B 9.1x 12.4x 6.9x
P/Tangible book 9.1x 12.4x 6.9x
EV/EBITDA 20.9x 29.9x 8.8x
EV/EBIT 30.7x 36.8x 11.5x
EV/Revenue 1.3x 1.4x 1.3x
EV/FCF 73.3x 45.8x 12.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 23.1x 27.2x 8.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.55 3.55 0.97

Growth

14 metrics
MetricWMTCOSTDLTR
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.2% 10.1% 8.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.3% 7.8% 28.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.6% 10.0% 17.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 6.7% 9.4% 105.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 11.4% 12.5% 48.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 14.0% 12.9% 11.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 2.9% 13.9% 155.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 16.3% 13.6% 9.8%
EPS growth (1Y) 3.9% 14.0% 159.9%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 16.9% 13.6% 15.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 11.7% 18.6% 48.8%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 4.3% 12.6% 19.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -1.8% 19.7% 105.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -11.1% 11.6% 28.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricWMTCOSTDLTR
Gross margin 25.2% 12.8% 38.7%
EBITDA margin 6.4% 4.7% 14.4%
Operating margin 4.4% 3.9% 11.0%
Pretax margin 4.0% 4.0% 10.7%
Net margin 3.0% 3.0% 8.0%
FCF margin 1.8% 3.1% 9.9%
Operating cash flow margin 5.8% 5.2% 15.5%
Return on equity 21.9% 26.6% 46.5%
Return on assets 7.7% 10.5% 11.6%
Return on invested capital 16.1% 21.7% 25.9%
Return on capital employed 18.3% 26.7% 20.7%
Asset turnover 2.5x 3.5x 1.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 1.7x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.3% 0.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricWMTCOSTDLTR
Debt / assets 17.2% 6.9% 20.9%
Debt / equity 0.5x 0.2x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.8x -1.1x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 3.7x 0.7x 1.5x
Liabilities / assets 64.4% 59.8% 75.6%
Equity / assets 35.6% 40.2% 24.4%
Interest coverage 17.4x 80.6x –
Current ratio 0.8x 1.1x 1.1x
Quick ratio 0.2x 0.6x 0.3x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.5x 0.3x
Altman Z-score 6.26 9.33 3.66

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricWMTCOSTDLTR
Dividend yield 0.8% 0.6% –
Net buyback yield 0.7% 0.2% 7.8%
Shareholder yield 1.6% 0.7% 7.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) 34.1% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 57.0% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 8.3% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 8.0% – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusWMTCOSTDLTR
Forward P/E 38.8xFY2026 47.2xFY2027 16.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $3.09FY2026 $21.24FY2027 $7.44FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.0%FY2026 +2.3%FY2027 +29.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +1.3% +22.4% +8.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $719.70BFY2026 $345.31BFY2027 $20.08BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +0.9%FY2026 +13.9%FY2027 +3.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +6.4% -4.5% +6.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersWMTCOSTDLTR
Held by institutions 37.2% 73.2% 99.4%
Institutions holding 4,408 4,208 862
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.2% +5.0% -5.0%
Institutions buying 2,092 1,920 409
Institutions selling 1,838 1,704 320
Buyers to sellers 1.14 1.13 1.28

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

WMTCOSTDLTR
WMT 1.00 0.62 0.28
COST 0.62 1.00 0.21
DLTR 0.28 0.21 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, WMT, COST and DLTR?

Walmart (WMT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Walmart (WMT) $956.71B, Costco Wholesale (COST) $446.27B, Dollar Tree (DLTR) $23.81B.

Which stock is cheaper, WMT, COST and DLTR?

Dollar Tree (DLTR) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Walmart (WMT) 43.3x, Costco Wholesale (COST) 48.4x, Dollar Tree (DLTR) 14.8x). On next year's consensus earnings, Dollar Tree (DLTR) is cheapest (Walmart (WMT) 38.8x, Costco Wholesale (COST) 47.2x, Dollar Tree (DLTR) 16.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Costco Wholesale (COST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Walmart (WMT) +6.2%, Costco Wholesale (COST) +10.1%, Dollar Tree (DLTR) +8.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Dollar Tree (DLTR) has the highest net margin (Walmart (WMT) 3.0%, Costco Wholesale (COST) 3.0%, Dollar Tree (DLTR) 8.0%). On return on invested capital, Dollar Tree (DLTR) leads (Walmart (WMT) 16.1%, Costco Wholesale (COST) 21.7%, Dollar Tree (DLTR) 25.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Dollar Tree (DLTR) returned the most: Walmart (WMT) +12.2%, Costco Wholesale (COST) +6.5%, Dollar Tree (DLTR) +24.5%. Over five years, Walmart (WMT) compounded fastest (Walmart (WMT) +19.4%/yr, Costco Wholesale (COST) +15.8%/yr, Dollar Tree (DLTR) +4.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Walmart (WMT) 0.01%, Costco Wholesale (COST) 0.00%, Dollar Tree (DLTR) 0.00%. Costco Wholesale (COST) and Dollar Tree (DLTR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Costco Wholesale (COST) has been the steadiest (Walmart (WMT) 26.6%, Costco Wholesale (COST) 20.0%, Dollar Tree (DLTR) 40.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, WMT, COST and DLTR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Dollar Tree (DLTR) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.