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DG or EL or SYY
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Dollar General (DG) vs. Estée Lauder (EL) vs. Sysco (SYY) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- DG reported strong Q4 FY2025 results with revenue up 5.9% to $10.91B and EPS of $1.93, but shares fell on cautious 2026 guidance projecting 2.2%-2.7% sales growth.
- EL faces headwinds from tariff risks and travel retail weakness, with shares down over 20% YTD amid legal disputes, though viewed as 19.2% undervalued by some analysts.
- SYY maintains steady performance with YTD gains around 17%, supported by distribution partnerships and leadership transitions, trading at a P/E of about 23x.
- Consumer staples like SYY show relative stability versus retail volatility in DG and luxury beauty pressures in EL.
- Recent market activity highlights SYY's consistent momentum amid broader sector rotations.
Introduction
This stock comparison examines DG (Dollar General), a discount retailer; EL (Estée Lauder), a prestige beauty leader; and SYY (Sysco), a foodservice distributor. These companies span consumer retail, luxury goods, and staples distribution, offering insights into defensive versus cyclical exposures. Traders seeking relative performance in volatile markets and investors eyeing valuation trade-offs will find value here, particularly amid recent earnings reactions and sector shifts.
DG Overview and Recent Performance
Dollar General Corporation (DG) operates over 20,000 discount stores across the U.S., focusing on consumables, seasonal goods, and apparel for value-conscious shoppers. In recent market activity, DG delivered Q4 FY2025 revenue of $10.91 billion, up 5.9% year-over-year, and EPS of $1.93, surpassing estimates. Full-year net sales reached $42.7 billion, a 5.2% increase. However, a conservative FY2026 outlook—anticipating 2.2%-2.7% comparable sales growth and EPS of $6.30-$6.80—triggered a sharp pullback, with shares declining around 7-10% in response. Sentiment reflects caution on consumer spending amid economic pressures, though operational efficiencies and store expansions support long-term positioning.
EL Overview and Recent Performance
The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) is a global leader in prestige beauty, offering skincare, makeup, fragrance, and haircare under brands like Estée Lauder, Clinique, and La Mer. Recent weeks have seen EL grapple with a 21% YTD share decline, driven by tariff concerns, travel retail softness, and legal actions over trademarks. Expansion moves, such as acquiring full control of Forest Essentials in India, signal growth pursuits. Analysts note the stock as potentially 19.2% undervalued at fair value estimates around $104, amid ongoing Profit Recovery and Growth Plan efforts to stabilize margins and sales in key markets like China and the U.S.
SYY Overview and Recent Performance
Sysco Corporation (SYY) is a leading foodservice distributor, supplying restaurants, healthcare, and institutions with fresh, frozen, and non-food products across U.S., Canada, and Europe. In recent market activity, SYY has posted YTD gains near 17%, buoyed by steady demand and partnerships like Reborn Coffee for efficiency gains. Leadership changes, including a CFO transition, coincide with reaffirmed outlooks. Shares trade stably, with a P/E around 23x, reflecting resilience in staples distribution versus retail peers. Volume growth in U.S. operations underscores positioning amid food-away-from-home recovery.
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Head-to-Head Comparison
DG, EL, and SYY diverge in business models: DG's retail faces direct consumer sensitivity, EL's luxury beauty contends with global trade risks, and SYY's B2B distribution benefits from steady institutional demand. Growth drivers include DG's store expansions, EL's emerging market acquisitions, and SYY's supply chain efficiencies. Recent momentum favors SYY's stability over DG's post-earnings dip and EL's declines. Risks encompass spending slowdowns for DG, tariffs for EL, and leadership flux for SYY. Valuation sensitivity shows SYY at a peer-reasonable 23x P/E, while sentiment leans defensive for staples amid retail pressures.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Tickeron’s AI would currently favor SYY for its trend consistency, lower volatility, and relative positioning in consumer staples distribution. Observable factors like sustained YTD gains, operational resilience, and favorable sector momentum outweigh near-term catalysts in DG or recovery potential in EL. Probabilistic edge tilts toward stability over speculative rebounds.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer. Disclaimers and Limitations
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is undervalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
DG’s FA Score shows that 0 FA rating(s) are green whileEL’s FA Score has 0 green FA rating(s), and SYY’s FA Score reflects 1 green FA rating(s).
- DG’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- EL’s FA Score: 0 green, 5 red.
- SYY’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
DG’s TA Score shows that 4 TA indicator(s) are bullish while EL’s TA Score has 4 bullish TA indicator(s), and SYY’s TA Score reflects 5 bullish TA indicator(s).
- DG’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- EL’s TA Score: 4 bullish, 5 bearish.
- SYY’s TA Score: 5 bullish, 5 bearish.
Price Growth
DG (@Discount Stores) experienced а +9.46% price change this week, while EL (@Household/Personal Care) price change was +4.86% , and SYY (@Food Distributors) price fluctuated +4.74% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Discount Stores industry was +2.34%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.71%, and the average quarterly price growth was +7.10%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Household/Personal Care industry was +0.96%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +3.95%, and the average quarterly price growth was -8.44%.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Food Distributors industry was -0.06%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +2.02%, and the average quarterly price growth was +1.02%.
Reported Earning Dates
DG is expected to report earnings on May 21, 2026.
EL is expected to report earnings on May 01, 2026.
SYY is expected to report earnings on Apr 28, 2026.
Industries' Descriptions
@Discount Stores (+2.34% weekly)Companies in the discount stores industry specialize in offering substantial discounts on a vast array of retail products. Some companies in this industry also operate general merchandise warehouse clubs. Products sold at discount stores are typically similar to those of any department store, but the pricing of the goods is generally much lower (and hence the name “discount”). Think Dollar General Corporation, Dollar Tree, Inc. and Five Below, Inc. Many discount stores target low-income households and/or price-sensitive consumers as their potential market. Discount stores’ profitability could hinge on factors like competitive pricing, sufficient locations, healthy revenue per square foot, and effective advertisement. These store operators could have an edge over other retailers during financial crises or recessions, when many consumers could be looking for less expensive alternatives.
@Household/Personal Care (+0.96% weekly)Household/Personal Care companies sell products for home cleaning and/or personal hygiene and grooming purposes. Products of this industry include detergents, shampoos, soaps, cosmetics, fabric conditioners and infant care fragrances. Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Estee Lauder and Colgate-Palmolive are some of the biggest names in the business. A lot of the products become a necessary part of people’s daily routine, and therefore the industry is relatively less vulnerable to macroeconomic downturns. At the same time, product quality, consumer safety, and ease of use are extremely critical factors for a company to survive competition and earn recognition in this industry.
@Food Distributors (-0.06% weekly)Food distributors function as intermediaries between food manufacturers and food service operators (such as chefs, restaurants, beverage managers, cafeterias, industrial caterers, hospitals and nursing homes). Food distribution companies buy, store and then supply food items to the food service operators, thereby allowing the latter to have access to a wide range of food items from various manufacturers. Sysco Corporation, US Foods Holding Corp. and Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. are some of the biggest (by market cap) U.S. companies in this segment. Most food service operators buy from local, specialty, and/or broad line food service distributors on a daily or weekly basis. With the rise in e-commerce, consumers are increasingly expecting lower prices, faster service, and higher quality – something that potentially creates the impetus on distribution networks to raise their game.
| DG | EL | SYY | |
| Capitalization | 27.9B | 27.6B | 36.5B |
| EBITDA | 3.24B | 1.39B | 4.1B |
| Gain YTD | -3.726 | -27.006 | 5.051 |
| P/E Ratio | 18.49 | 147.80 | 20.56 |
| Revenue | 42.7B | 14.7B | 82.6B |
| Total Cash | 1.14B | 3.08B | 169M |
| Total Debt | 15.7B | 9.39B | 15B |
DG | EL | SYY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 30 | 5 | 24 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 45 Fair valued | 54 Fair valued | 50 Fair valued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 100 | 100 | 76 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 46 | 91 | 14 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 52 | 64 | 60 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 62 | 36 | 50 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 50 | 85 | 65 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
DG's Valuation (45) in the Discount Stores industry is in the same range as SYY (50) in the Food Distributors industry, and is in the same range as EL (54) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that DG's stock grew similarly to SYY’s and similarly to EL’s over the last 12 months.
SYY's Profit vs Risk Rating (76) in the Food Distributors industry is in the same range as DG (100) in the Discount Stores industry, and is in the same range as EL (100) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that SYY's stock grew similarly to DG’s and similarly to EL’s over the last 12 months.
SYY's SMR Rating (14) in the Food Distributors industry is in the same range as DG (46) in the Discount Stores industry, and is significantly better than the same rating for EL (91) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that SYY's stock grew similarly to DG’s and significantly faster than EL’s over the last 12 months.
DG's Price Growth Rating (52) in the Discount Stores industry is in the same range as SYY (60) in the Food Distributors industry, and is in the same range as EL (64) in the Household Or Personal Care industry. This means that DG's stock grew similarly to SYY’s and similarly to EL’s over the last 12 months.
EL's P/E Growth Rating (36) in the Household Or Personal Care industry is in the same range as SYY (50) in the Food Distributors industry, and is in the same range as DG (62) in the Discount Stores industry. This means that EL's stock grew similarly to SYY’s and similarly to DG’s over the last 12 months.
| DG | EL | SYY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 55% | 3 days ago 67% | 3 days ago 57% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 56% | 3 days ago 74% | 3 days ago 61% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 53% | 3 days ago 65% | 3 days ago 44% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 64% | 3 days ago 59% | 3 days ago 45% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 62% | 3 days ago 64% | 3 days ago 48% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 66% | 3 days ago 75% | 3 days ago 53% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 62% | 5 days ago 63% | 5 days ago 49% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 10 days ago 64% | 18 days ago 74% | 10 days ago 53% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 56% | 3 days ago 61% | 3 days ago 51% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 3 days ago 60% | 3 days ago 68% | 3 days ago 65% |
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SYY and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, SYY has been loosely correlated with USFD. These tickers have moved in lockstep 41% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if SYY jumps, then USFD could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To SYY | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SYY | 100% | +3.00% | ||
| USFD - SYY | 41% Loosely correlated | +4.33% | ||
| PFGC - SYY | 41% Loosely correlated | +5.04% | ||
| UNFI - SYY | 30% Poorly correlated | +4.04% | ||
| ANDE - SYY | 26% Poorly correlated | +1.55% | ||
| CHEF - SYY | 25% Poorly correlated | +4.51% | ||
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