Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Petco Animal Supplies Stores, Inc. 401k Plan
San Diego, CARetail Trade22,605 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$487Employer $ per active participant
$1,442Employee $ saved per active participant
0.05%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$368.1MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity17.5 / 5035th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost17.7 / 2571th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving6.1 / 1541th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score41 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 35th |
| Lower admin cost | 71th |
| Employee saving | 41th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $2,040,318 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Petco Animal Supplies Stores put in about $487 per active participant, below the typical peer ($689). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $11,013,614 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $32,585,615 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $5,193,164 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $171,816 |
| Contract administrator fees | $600 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $158,974 |
| Benefits paid out | $39,509,523 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $311.3M / $368.1M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 22,886 / 22,324 |
| Participants with account balances | 8,817 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Eide Bailly LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $113,974 reported compensation |
| One Digital | $45,000 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $12,842 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013150921NAL0003314802001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 33-0479906, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.