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Dollar General's (DG) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Comps Rise
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Dollar General Corporation (DG - Free Report) registered a stellar performance in second-quarter fiscal 2020, wherein both the top and the bottom lines not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also grew year over year. The discount retailer also witnessed sturdy same-store sales performance. Management stated that change in consumer behavior due to the coronavirus pandemic had a favorable impact on the company’s performance.
Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have advanced about 35.8% in the past six months compared with the industry’s rally of 16%.
Let’s Delve Deep
Quarterly earnings came in at $3.12 per share that comfortably surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.44 and increased significantly from $1.74 reported in the prior-year period. The year-over-year increase in the bottom line can be attributed to higher net sales and share repurchase activity. Notably, this was the sixth straight quarter of positive earnings surprise.
Net sales of $8,684.2 million increased 24.4% from the prior-year period and came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8,328.2 million for the ninth quarter in row. Contribution from new outlets and same-store sales growth favorably impacted the top line, partially offset by the impact of store closures.
Dollar General’s same-store sales increased 18.8% year over year primarily owing to rise in average transaction amount, partly offset by a decline in customer traffic. Consumables, Seasonal, Apparel and Home categories favorably impacted the metric.
Sales in the Consumables category increased 19.7% to $6,496.4 million, while the same in Seasonal category witnessed a rise of 36% to $1,161.6 million. Home Products sales soared 56.2% to $586 million, while Apparel category sales grew 35.6% to $440.3 million.
Dollar General Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Gross profit surged 31.1% to $2,818.2 million during the quarter under review. Notably, gross margin expanded 167 basis points to 32.5% mainly due to higher initial markups on inventory purchases, a significant percentage of sales coming from non-consumables product categories and a reduction in markdowns. This was partly offset by higher distribution and transportation expenses.
Meanwhile, adjusted operating income surged 71.3% to $1,042.6 million, whereas adjusted operating margin increased to 12% from 8.7% in the year-ago period.
Store Update
During the 26-week period ended on Jul 31, the company opened 500 new outlets, remodeled 973 stores and relocated 43 stores. In fiscal 2020, the company now intends to open 1,000 new stores, remodel 1,670 stores, and relocate 110 stores.
Other Financial Details
Dollar General ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2,959.6 million, long-term obligations of $4,089 million and shareholders’ equity of $7,356.1 million.
The company incurred capital expenditures of $424 million during the 26-week period ended on Jul 31. For fiscal 2020, it anticipates capital expenditures in the range of $1-$1.1 billion versus prior projection of $925-$975 million.
Dollar General resumed share repurchases during the second quarter, after temporarily suspending the same in the preceding quarter in order to assess the implications of the pandemic. Notably, the company bought back 3.2 million shares for $602 million during the quarter. The company still had $481 million remaining under authorization at the end of the quarter. Also, the company’s board of directors increased the share repurchase authorization by $2 billion on Aug 26, 2020. The company expects to repurchase shares worth $2.5 billion during fiscal 2020.
Key Notes
Dollar General informed that since the end of the second quarter, it has continued to witness “elevated demand” across its stores. Consequently, from Aug 1 through Aug 25, same-store sales have risen roughly 15% compared with prior-year period.
Target (TGT - Free Report) has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7.2%. Currently, it sports a Zacks Rank #1.
Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM - Free Report) has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 49.9% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.
Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
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Dollar General's (DG) Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Comps Rise
Dollar General Corporation (DG - Free Report) registered a stellar performance in second-quarter fiscal 2020, wherein both the top and the bottom lines not only beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate but also grew year over year. The discount retailer also witnessed sturdy same-store sales performance. Management stated that change in consumer behavior due to the coronavirus pandemic had a favorable impact on the company’s performance.
Shares of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company have advanced about 35.8% in the past six months compared with the industry’s rally of 16%.
Let’s Delve Deep
Quarterly earnings came in at $3.12 per share that comfortably surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.44 and increased significantly from $1.74 reported in the prior-year period. The year-over-year increase in the bottom line can be attributed to higher net sales and share repurchase activity. Notably, this was the sixth straight quarter of positive earnings surprise.
Net sales of $8,684.2 million increased 24.4% from the prior-year period and came ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8,328.2 million for the ninth quarter in row. Contribution from new outlets and same-store sales growth favorably impacted the top line, partially offset by the impact of store closures.
Dollar General’s same-store sales increased 18.8% year over year primarily owing to rise in average transaction amount, partly offset by a decline in customer traffic. Consumables, Seasonal, Apparel and Home categories favorably impacted the metric.
Sales in the Consumables category increased 19.7% to $6,496.4 million, while the same in Seasonal category witnessed a rise of 36% to $1,161.6 million. Home Products sales soared 56.2% to $586 million, while Apparel category sales grew 35.6% to $440.3 million.
Dollar General Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Dollar General Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Dollar General Corporation Quote
Gross profit surged 31.1% to $2,818.2 million during the quarter under review. Notably, gross margin expanded 167 basis points to 32.5% mainly due to higher initial markups on inventory purchases, a significant percentage of sales coming from non-consumables product categories and a reduction in markdowns. This was partly offset by higher distribution and transportation expenses.
Meanwhile, adjusted operating income surged 71.3% to $1,042.6 million, whereas adjusted operating margin increased to 12% from 8.7% in the year-ago period.
Store Update
During the 26-week period ended on Jul 31, the company opened 500 new outlets, remodeled 973 stores and relocated 43 stores. In fiscal 2020, the company now intends to open 1,000 new stores, remodel 1,670 stores, and relocate 110 stores.
Other Financial Details
Dollar General ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $2,959.6 million, long-term obligations of $4,089 million and shareholders’ equity of $7,356.1 million.
The company incurred capital expenditures of $424 million during the 26-week period ended on Jul 31. For fiscal 2020, it anticipates capital expenditures in the range of $1-$1.1 billion versus prior projection of $925-$975 million.
Dollar General resumed share repurchases during the second quarter, after temporarily suspending the same in the preceding quarter in order to assess the implications of the pandemic. Notably, the company bought back 3.2 million shares for $602 million during the quarter. The company still had $481 million remaining under authorization at the end of the quarter. Also, the company’s board of directors increased the share repurchase authorization by $2 billion on Aug 26, 2020. The company expects to repurchase shares worth $2.5 billion during fiscal 2020.
Key Notes
Dollar General informed that since the end of the second quarter, it has continued to witness “elevated demand” across its stores. Consequently, from Aug 1 through Aug 25, same-store sales have risen roughly 15% compared with prior-year period.
3 Hot Stocks to Consider
Big Lots (BIG - Free Report) , a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7.1%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Target (TGT - Free Report) has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7.2%. Currently, it sports a Zacks Rank #1.
Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM - Free Report) has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 49.9% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.
Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
See the 5 high-tech stocks now>>