Core and Main Inc vs Dollar General Corp. — how do they compare? Core and Main Inc trades at $46.18 (market cap $8.73B), while Dollar General Corp. trades at $120.2 (market cap $26.49B). The key difference: Dollar General Corp. is far larger — about 3× Core and Main Inc's market cap, and Dollar General Corp. pays a 1.97% dividend while Core and Main Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CNM | DG | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.73B | $26.49B |
Sector | Technology | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $66.98 | $156.26 |
52-Week Low | $42.37 | $95.94 |
Enterprise Value | $11.02B | $40.93B |
Dividend Yield | — | 1.97% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Core & Main (CNM) trades at $45.9, down 0.86% today, with a bullish technical signal despite near-term pressure. The company demonstrates strong fundamentals with consistent earnings beats, including Q1 2026 EPS of $0.57 beating expectations of $0.534. Revenue reached $7.44B in 2025 with 5.87% net margin, while analyst consensus remains positive with 57% buy ratings. Recent news highlights institutional activity including California State Teachers Retirement System increasing its position by 22.3% in Q1 2026.
CNM presents a compelling investment case with robust profitability (23.73% ROE) and improving cash flow trends, though elevated debt levels and competitive pressures warrant caution. The stock's current valuation at 19.76 P/E appears reasonable given growth prospects, with technical support at $46 providing downside protection. Upside potential exists if the company maintains its earnings beat streak and executes on FY26 guidance of $7.8-7.9B revenue.
Dollar General (DG) trades at $119.65, down 2.24% amid broader market weakness. The stock shows strong fundamentals with a P/E of 16.98 and P/S of 0.62, trading below analyst consensus target of $128.45. Recent earnings beats and positive cash flow trends ($395M net in 2025) support the bullish case, though profit margins have compressed from 7.01% in 2022 to 2.77% in 2025. Technical indicators show mixed signals with bullish overall sentiment but bearish moving averages.
Outlook remains positive given 52% analyst buy ratings and projected earnings growth, but investors face margin pressure and competitive threats from Walmart and Amazon. The stock offers value characteristics with upside to price targets, though same-store sales growth and cost management will be critical for sustained performance.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Core & Main is a leading US distributor of water, wastewater, storm drainage, and fire protection products. It provides essential infrastructure solutions to municipalities, private water companies, and contractors.
Read more on CNM →A leading American discount retailer, Dollar General operates over 18,000 stores in 47 states, selling branded and private-label products across a wide variety of categories. In fiscal 2021, 77% of net sales came from consumables (including paper and cleaning products, packaged and perishable food, tobacco, and health and beauty items), 12% from seasonal merchandise (such as toys, greeting cards, decorations, and gardening supplies), 7% from home products (for example, kitchen supplies, small appliances, and cookware), and 4% from basic apparel. Stores average roughly 7,400 square feet, and about 75% of Dollar General locations are in towns of 20,000 or fewer people. The firm emphasizes value, with most of its items sold at everyday low prices of $5 or less.
Read more on DG →