Dollar General Corp. vs Advanced Drainage Systems Inc — how do they compare? Dollar General Corp. trades at $120.07 (market cap $27.00B), while Advanced Drainage Systems Inc trades at $143.7 (market cap $10.68B). The key difference: Dollar General Corp. is far larger — about 2.5× Advanced Drainage Systems Inc's market cap, and Dollar General Corp. pays the higher dividend (1.93%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| DG | WMS | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $27.00B | $10.68B |
Sector | Consumer Staples | Industrials |
52-Week High | $156.26 | $175.38 |
52-Week Low | $95.94 | $129.50 |
Enterprise Value | $41.45B | $12.29B |
Dividend Yield | 1.93% | 0.56% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Dollar General (DG) trades at $126.59, down 0.69% on the day, with strong technical momentum indicated by bullish moving averages and oversold RSI conditions. The company demonstrates consistent earnings beats with Q1 2026 EPS of $2.00 exceeding expectations of $1.89, while maintaining solid profitability metrics including 18.91% ROE. Recent cash flow trends show improvement with 2025 net cash flow of $395 million, and the balance sheet reflects declining debt-to-asset ratios from 22.73% to 20.03% year-over-year.
The outlook remains positive with analyst consensus favoring Buy ratings (52%) and a $128.45 price target offering modest upside. Key opportunities include consumer trade-down benefits and margin improvement, while risks involve competition from Walmart and Amazon, market saturation concerns, and ongoing cost pressures. The stock presents a value proposition with attractive P/S (0.65) and P/E (17.91) multiples relative to historical norms.
Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS) trades at $143.95, down 3.03% on the day, with a neutral technical signal. The company reported strong Q2 2026 earnings of $2.49 per share, beating estimates, and maintains solid profitability with a 14% net income margin and 24.9% ROE. Recent news highlights Q1 fiscal 2027 sales growth of 21% and consistent dividend payments, though cash flow turned negative in 2025 due to increased investing activity.
The outlook is mixed; analyst consensus is a Buy with a $185.86 price target, but near-term risks include volatile cash flows and high valuation multiples. Upside potential hinges on execution of growth initiatives and infrastructure demand, while margin pressure and economic sensitivity pose challenges.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →Advanced Drainage Systems Inc is engaged in designing, manufacturing, and marketing thermoplastic corrugated pipe and related water management products in North and South America, and Europe. The company's operating segment includes Pipe
Read more on WMS →