DLTR vs ELF Stock Comparison
DLTR currently leads ELF in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 58 vs 51. The clearest difference is value.
What is the main difference between DLTR and ELF?
DLTR leads the current stock comparison as Dollar Tree, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Dollar Tree, Inc. vs e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.
DLTR leads
DLTR leads by 7 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Quality, and the lead has widened from 1 points over 30 sessions.
Competitive: 3 of 6 evidence groups support DLTR, its lead is widening, and its signal state is cleanly positive.
Dollar Tree, Inc.
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors DLTR over ELF, 58 versus 51 as of Oct 31, 2026. DLTR's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and quality. DLTR also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor DLTR today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. DLTR lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 7 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Dollar Tree, Inc. and e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price return from daily closes; distributions are not included.
Price return comparison
Growth of $10,000, price only
Split-adjusted closes only. Distributions are excluded, which understates the return of any fund or stock that pays them.
Compare DLTR and ELF against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value52 vs 28DLTR +24
- Quality57 vs 53DLTR +4
- Momentum76 vs 78Even
- Risk Resilience44 vs 45Even
3 of 6 evidence groups favor DLTR. DLTR’s edge is concentrated in value and quality.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-28, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-27.
Largest factor move: Momentum +1, not enough on its own to move the overall score.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +2
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
DLTR's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — DLTR and ELF both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
DLTR (Dollar Tree, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and quality.
ELF (e.l.f. Beauty, Inc.): the counter-case, on fundamentals, technicals.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
DLTRDLTR on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
ELFELF on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
DLTRDLTR on the peer-relative Value factor, by 24 points.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
EvenDownside measures are level or not covered.
Analyst upside
DLTRDLTR on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.
| Measure | DLTR | ELF | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | -2.6% | -17.2% | DLTR has more room |
| Target dispersion | +57.5% | +83.2% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Hold | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 15 | 11 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor DLTR. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | DLTR | 58 vs 51 |
| Fundamentals | ELFon balance | revenue growth -1.7% vs 6.7%; EPS growth 53.4% vs 234.5%; TTM ROE 45.6% vs 5.2%; gross margin 38.7% vs 74.4%; operating margin 10.7% vs 10.5% — ELF takes 3 of 4 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | DLTR | Value 52 vs 28 |
| Technicals | ELF | Price vs 50-day 10% vs 6.4%; vs 200-day 8.9% vs 42.4% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 44 vs 45 |
| Analyst expectations | DLTR | Target upside -2.6% vs -17.2% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of DLTR and ELF and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 7 points.
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader's signal state is cleanly positive. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on DLTR.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 29 – Oct 28DLTR lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 7 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- DLTR +7
- 58 vs 51
- 7 sessions ago
- DLTR +9
- 60 vs 51
- 30 sessions ago
- DLTR +1
- 52 vs 51
- 90 sessions ago
- DLTR +2
- 53 vs 51
The lead changed hands 3 times in this window, most recently on Sep 30 when ELF moved ahead of DLTR.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
DLTR and ELF carry the same 4 signals, so the signals do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish, Uptrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.39%, AIQ 0 points).
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -1.12%, AIQ +1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1ELF closes the Value gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to DLTR's edge.
- 2ELF's existing bullish trend signals translate into factor-score gains — the rules are already firing, but the scores have not yet followed.
- 3DLTR's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
ELF leads on balance| Metric | DLTR | ELF |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | -1.7% | 6.7% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 53.4% | 234.5% |
| Gross margin | 38.7% | 74.4% |
| Operating margin | 10.7% | 10.5% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 45.6% | 5.2% |
| Debt to equity | 2.24 | 0.79 |
Performance
ELF leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | DLTR | ELF |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | 11.5% | 14.3% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -1.1% | 40.3% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 27.6% | 77.6% |
| Year to date | 3.4% | 50.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 28.4% | -6% |
Technicals
ELF has the stronger structure| Metric | DLTR | ELF |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 64 | 69.4 |
| ADX (14) | 28.5 | 38.3 |
| Price vs 50-day | 10% | 6.4% |
| Price vs 200-day | 8.9% | 42.4% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 34.5% | 34.2% |
Risk
Split| Metric | DLTR | ELF |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.66 | 1.63 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.63 | 0.09 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.22 | 0.1 |
| Max drawdown | -38.5% | -62.4% |
| Current drawdown | -9.9% | -12.4% |
| Annualized volatility | 41.5% | 65.3% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -3.9% | -5.3% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, DLTR or ELF?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, DLTR is the stronger of the two as of Oct 31, 2026, scoring 58 against ELF's 51. The edge comes from value and quality. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is DLTR or ELF the better buy right now?
DLTR carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 31, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
Why does the AIQ Score favor DLTR over ELF?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. DLTR leads Value by 24 points; DLTR leads Quality by 4 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, DLTR or ELF?
Analyst price targets imply -2.6% upside for DLTR and -17.2% for ELF, so the Street currently favors DLTR. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, DLTR or ELF?
DLTR is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. DLTR on the peer-relative Value factor, by 24 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, DLTR or ELF?
ELF on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, DLTR or ELF?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, DLTR or ELF?
The two are close on downside measures. Downside measures are level or not covered. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is DLTR more profitable than ELF?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 38.7% vs 74.4%; operating margin 10.7% vs 10.5%; ttm roe 45.6% vs 5.2%. Each name leads on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is DLTR's lead over ELF getting stronger or weaker?
DLTR lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 7 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-29 and 2026-10-28. The lead has changed hands 3 times in that window, most recently on 2026-09-30, when ELF moved ahead of DLTR.
What would change the DLTR vs ELF verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: ELF closes the Value gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to DLTR's edge; ELF's existing bullish trend signals translate into factor-score gains — the rules are already firing, but the scores have not yet followed; DLTR's Golden Cross Active breaks down — it is the strongest rule currently supporting the verdict; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about DLTR and ELF?
DLTR: 4 bullish / 0 bearish. ELF: 4 bullish / 0 bearish. The most decision-relevant rule on DLTR is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On ELF it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare DLTR and ELF with others
Continue your research
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How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.