DLTR vs PLAY: Correlation
How closely do Dollar Tree (DLTR) and Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) trade together? Their weekly returns over three years give a correlation of 0.41, which is moderate.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are DLTR and PLAY?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of DLTR and PLAY correlate at 0.41, moderate. Little has changed lately, as the 1-year reading of 0.48 lands near the 3-year figure. Stretching to 5 years gives 0.36, with an annualized covariance of 965.5 %².
Within DLTR's tracked universe of 32 assets, PLAY comes in at #9 by 3-year correlation. Their recent paths diverged sharply: over the last 12 months DLTR outperformed by 76.4 percentage points (+12.5% for DLTR against -63.9% for PLAY). One caveat on sizing: PLAY is 1.7 times as volatile as the other leg, so an equal-dollar split is far from equal-risk.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
DLTR vs PLAY: side by side
| DLTR (Dollar Tree) | PLAY (Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +12.5% | -63.9% |
| 5-year return | +39.7% | -74.8% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 37.3% | 63.8% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.70 | 1.25 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -59.2% | -86.6% |
| Market cap | $23.8B | $0.3B |
| P/E (trailing) | 21.2 | – |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Sector / category | Consumer Staples | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | DLTR | PLAY |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +0.7% | -7.7% |
| 2023 | +0.4% | +51.9% |
| 2024 | -47.2% | -45.8% |
| 2025 | +64.1% | -44.5% |
| 2026 | +3.2% | -43.4% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are DLTR and PLAY good diversifiers for each other?
Reasonably. At 0.41, DLTR and PLAY keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between DLTR and PLAY?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between DLTR and PLAY is 0.41 over 3 years, 0.48 over 1 year and 0.36 over 5 years.
Is PLAY a good diversifier for DLTR?
Reasonably. At 0.41, DLTR and PLAY keep a meaningful degree of independence, and combining them has historically reduced portfolio volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.41 mean?
Correlation ranges from −1 to +1. Values near +1 mean two assets move together, near 0 that they move independently, and negative values that they tend to move in opposite directions. It measures co-movement, not performance.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/dltr-vs-play.json
Embed this badge (it refreshes with the data), with attribution:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/dltr-vs-play/)
No key needed, free to use. Full endpoint list in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: DLTR correlations · PLAY correlations
