Dollar General Q1 Earnings & Sales Beat Estimates, FY25 View Raised

Dollar General Corporation DG reported first-quarter fiscal 2025 results, wherein both top and bottom lines beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and increased year over year. The company also raised its full-year guidance.Dollar General reported a strong start to the year, highlighted by solid same-store sales and earnings per share performance. The company saw market share gains across consumable and non-consumable categories, with growth from both core and trade-in customers.More on DG’s Q1 ResultsQuarterly earnings of $1.78 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.47. The bottom line increased 7.9% from $1.65 in the prior-year period. (Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.)Dollar General Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Dollar General Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Dollar General Corporation QuoteNet sales of $10,436 million increased 5.3% year over year and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $10,287 million. This increase was primarily driven by contributions from store openings and growth in same-store sales, though partially offset by the impact of store closures.Same-store sales grew 2.4%, reflecting a 2.7% increase in average transaction amount, partially offset by a 0.3% decline in customer traffic. Growth was recorded across all major product categories, including consumables, seasonal items, home products and apparel. We anticipated same-store sales growth of 0.8% in the fiscal first quarter.DG’s Quarterly Performance: Key Metrics & Margin InsightsFor the quarter, net sales by category showed varied performance. The consumables category saw a significant increase of 5.2%, reaching $8.64 billion. Net sales for the seasonal category totaled $1.02 billion, an increase of 6.2% compared with the prior-year quarter. Home products sales grew 5.9% to $507.2 million and apparel saw an increase of 3.2%, reaching $269.2 million.The gross margin expanded 78 basis points to 31%. This increase in the gross margin was due to higher inventory markups and lower shrinkage. These factors were partially offset by higher markdowns. We envisioned a 20-basis-point increase in the gross margin.Selling, general and administrative expenses, as a percentage of net sales, increased 77 basis points to 25.4% in the quarter. The increase was primarily caused by higher retail labor, incentive compensation, repairs and maintenance. We anticipated 90 basis points of deleverage in SG&A expenses.The operating profit increased 5.5% year over year to $576.1 million. We envisioned a 70-basis-point decrease in the operating margin.Dollar General’s Store Expansion & Remodeling PlansDuring the quarter, Dollar General opened 156 stores, remodeled 668 locations through Project Elevate and remodeled 559 stores through Project Renovate, and relocated 23 stores. In fiscal 2025, the company plans to execute 4,885 real estate projects, including the opening of 575 stores in the United States and up to 15 stores in Mexico. Additionally, the company aims to fully remodel 2,000 stores through Project Renovate, remodel 2,250 stores through Project Elevate and relocate 45 stores.DG’s Financial SnapshotThis Goodlettsville, TN-based company ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $850 million, long-term obligations of $5.72 billion and total shareholders’ equity of $7.70 billion. Management incurred capital expenditures of $290.9 million during the fiscal first quarter. For fiscal 2025, the company anticipates capital expenditures in the band of $1.3-$1.4 billion. The company does not plan to repurchase shares in fiscal 2025.What to Expect From Dollar General in FY25?Dollar General now expects net sales growth of 3.7% to 4.7%, up from its prior outlook of 3.4% to 4.4%. Same-store sales are projected to increase 1.5% to 2.5%, slightly above the earlier range of approximately 1.2% to 2.2%. Earnings per share are anticipated to be between $5.20 and $5.80 compared with the previous estimate of approximately $5.10 to $5.80.Shares of this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company have gained 34.1% in the past three months compared with the industry’s growth of 3%.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchOther Key PicksUrban Outfitters, Inc. URBN offers lifestyle products and services. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Urban Outfitters’ current fiscal-year earnings and sales indicates growth of 20.9% and 8%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figures. URBN delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 29%.Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. SFM engages in the retailing of fresh, natural and organic food products in the United States, flaunting a Zacks Rank #1. SFM delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 16.5%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Sprouts Farmers Market’s current fiscal-year earnings and sales indicates growth of 35.5% and 13.7%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s reported figures.Canada Goose Holdings Inc. GOOS designs, manufactures and sells performance luxury apparel for men, women, youth, children and babies. It carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) at present. GOOS delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 57.2%.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Canada Goose’s current fiscal-year earnings and sales implies a decline of 10% and 2.9%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Dollar General Corporation (DG): Free Stock Analysis Report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN): Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM): Free Stock Analysis Report Canada Goose Holdings Inc. (GOOS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks