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$1,000 invested in Dollar General 10 years ago would be worth $1,940 today

Bought at the close of September 2016 and valued at the 2026-10-02 close, that is a +94.0% total return, or 6.8% a year. The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund (SPY) would be worth $4,167, so the stock trailed the index by $2,226.
DG value today
$1,907
Total return
+90.7%
Per year
6.2%
Worst drop on the way
−71.0%
Same amount in the S&P 500
$4,489
Dollar General vs the S&P 500
−$2,582

Bought at the close of December 2015. Valued at the 2026-10-02 close with dividends reinvested; excludes taxes and fees.

Dollar General returns over 1 to 20 years

$1,000 investedDG todayPer yearWorst dropS&P 500 todayS&P 500 per year
1 year ago
Bought end of September 2025
$1,174+17.3%−28.9%$1,168+16.7%
3 years ago
Bought end of September 2023
$1,199+6.2%−53.4%$1,867+23.1%
5 years ago
Bought end of September 2021
$610−9.4%−71.0%$1,917+13.9%
10 years ago
Bought end of September 2016
$1,940+6.8%−71.0%$4,167+15.3%
Since November 2009
Bought end of November 2009
$6,030+11.3%−71.0%$9,454+14.3%

Month-end closes adjusted for splits and dividends, valued at the October 2, 2026 close. Source: Yahoo Finance chart API, monthly close adjusted for splits and dividends. Excludes taxes, fees and inflation. Methodology

Past returns don't repeat. What does the price assume now?

The table answers what already happened. A buyer today gets the next ten years, not the last ten, and the share price already reflects what the market expects. That expectation is what you're really betting on.

Two quick checks: run DG through the reverse DCF calculator to see the growth today's price implies, then compare it with what the business actually earns. If the implied growth looks hard to reach, a great past return is no help.

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Frequently asked questions

How much would $1,000 invested in Dollar General 10 years ago be worth today?

About $1,940, a total return of +94.0%, bought at the close of September 2016 and valued at the 2026-10-02 close with dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund (SPY) would be worth $4,167, so the stock trailed the index by $2,226.

What is Dollar General's average annual return?

6.8% a year compounded over that period. Since November 2009, the earliest month in our data, it is 11.3% a year.

What was the worst drop in DG along the way?

Measured on month-end prices, Dollar General fell as much as 71.0% from a previous high during that period. Holding through drops like that is the hard part of earning the long-run return.

Do these numbers include dividends?

Yes. They use month-end prices adjusted for splits and dividends, which assumes every dividend was reinvested. They ignore taxes, trading costs and inflation.

Will Dollar General keep returning this much?

Past returns don't tell you future returns. What matters now is the growth today's share price already assumes. A reverse DCF shows that number, so you can judge whether it is realistic.

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