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Dollar General Delivers Strong Q4 Earnings By Copying Wal-Mart
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Dollar General Corporation. (DG - Free Report) , the U.S discount retailer, delivered better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter of 2016 by following in the footstep of the America’s largest retail giant, Wal-Mart (WMT - Free Report) .
Dollar General posted earnings of $1.49 per share and revenues of $6 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus earnings estimates of $1.41 per share and $5.9 billion in revenues.
The result came as a surprise for us at Zacks. The discount retailer missed the two previous quarterly earnings estimates and three revenuesestimates. Furthermore, the company was underperforming in the Zacks categorized Retail-Discounted & Variety industry. Dollar general’s stock declined 14%, while the industry only lost 3.4%. The industry includes Burlington Stores (BURL - Free Report) , Costco Wholesale (COST - Free Report) , Target Corp. (TGT - Free Report) and Dollar Tree (DLTR - Free Report) .
What Changed?
Dollar General has been focusing on raising wages and training programs for store managers.
“To strengthen our position for the long term, we are making significant investments, primarily in compensation and training for our store managers given the critical role this position plays in our customer experience, as well as strategic initiatives,” said Todd Vasos, CEO of Dollar General.
Wal-Mart did the same in 2015, and said it had helped improve service quality and boost sales.
Dollar General said there have already been successful examples. Stores with raised wages introduced had seen higher sales and greater employee retention.
It was a right direction for the discount retailer, as the company faces stiff competition from big retailers like Wal-Mart and other grocery retailers, which have been discounting aggressively to win customers. For Dollar General, further price reduction wasn’t a viable solution because their products were already priced so low.
"We don't see a further (price reduction) needed because we are priced very, very aggressively in most of our areas today, if not all," Vasos said on a post-earnings call with analysts.
Bottom Line
The Tennessee-based retailer posted a 13.7% growth in fourth quarter net sales and fiscal year net sales increased 7.9% to $22 billion.
For 2017, the company looks to continue investing in employee training and open up 1,000 new stores while relocating or remodeling 900 stores.
“While these investments are expected to put pressure on our 2017 earnings, we believe they will strengthen our market share position over time and are positive steps to further support sustainable growth for our shareholders over the long term," said Vasos.
Dollar General is trading at $73.19 per share with a slight upward movement of 0.5%. The company also moved up to Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) from a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) after its earnings report was released on Wednesdays.
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Dollar General Delivers Strong Q4 Earnings By Copying Wal-Mart
Dollar General Corporation. (DG - Free Report) , the U.S discount retailer, delivered better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter of 2016 by following in the footstep of the America’s largest retail giant, Wal-Mart (WMT - Free Report) .
Dollar General posted earnings of $1.49 per share and revenues of $6 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus earnings estimates of $1.41 per share and $5.9 billion in revenues.
The result came as a surprise for us at Zacks. The discount retailer missed the two previous quarterly earnings estimates and three revenuesestimates. Furthermore, the company was underperforming in the Zacks categorized Retail-Discounted & Variety industry. Dollar general’s stock declined 14%, while the industry only lost 3.4%. The industry includes Burlington Stores (BURL - Free Report) , Costco Wholesale (COST - Free Report) , Target Corp. (TGT - Free Report) and Dollar Tree (DLTR - Free Report) .
What Changed?
Dollar General has been focusing on raising wages and training programs for store managers.
“To strengthen our position for the long term, we are making significant investments, primarily in compensation and training for our store managers given the critical role this position plays in our customer experience, as well as strategic initiatives,” said Todd Vasos, CEO of Dollar General.
Wal-Mart did the same in 2015, and said it had helped improve service quality and boost sales.
Dollar General said there have already been successful examples. Stores with raised wages introduced had seen higher sales and greater employee retention.
It was a right direction for the discount retailer, as the company faces stiff competition from big retailers like Wal-Mart and other grocery retailers, which have been discounting aggressively to win customers. For Dollar General, further price reduction wasn’t a viable solution because their products were already priced so low.
"We don't see a further (price reduction) needed because we are priced very, very aggressively in most of our areas today, if not all," Vasos said on a post-earnings call with analysts.
Bottom Line
The Tennessee-based retailer posted a 13.7% growth in fourth quarter net sales and fiscal year net sales increased 7.9% to $22 billion.
For 2017, the company looks to continue investing in employee training and open up 1,000 new stores while relocating or remodeling 900 stores.
“While these investments are expected to put pressure on our 2017 earnings, we believe they will strengthen our market share position over time and are positive steps to further support sustainable growth for our shareholders over the long term," said Vasos.
Dollar General is trading at $73.19 per share with a slight upward movement of 0.5%. The company also moved up to Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) from a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) after its earnings report was released on Wednesdays.
More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs.
A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >>