ZACKSยท2025-06-03 16:50Core Insights - Dollar General Corporation (DG) reported strong first-quarter fiscal 2025 results, with both revenue and earnings exceeding expectations and showing year-over-year growth [1][9] - The company raised its full-year guidance, indicating continued strength in its business operations [9] Financial Performance - Quarterly earnings per share (EPS) were $1.78, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.47, and increased by 7.9% from $1.65 in the prior-year period [2][9] - Net sales reached $10,436 million, a 5.3% increase year over year, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $10,287 million, driven by new store openings and same-store sales growth [2][9] - Same-store sales grew by 2.4%, with a 2.7% increase in average transaction amount, although customer traffic declined by 0.3% [3] Category Performance - The consumables category saw a significant increase of 5.2%, reaching $8.64 billion, while seasonal category sales totaled $1.02 billion, up 6.2% [4] - Home products sales grew by 5.9% to $507.2 million, and apparel sales increased by 3.2% to $269.2 million [4] Margin Insights - Gross margin expanded by 78 basis points to 31%, attributed to higher inventory markups and lower shrinkage, partially offset by higher markdowns [5] - Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses as a percentage of net sales increased by 77 basis points to 25.4%, primarily due to higher retail labor and incentive compensation [6] - Operating profit increased by 5.5% year over year to $576.1 million [6] Expansion Plans - During the quarter, Dollar General opened 156 new stores and remodeled 668 locations through Project Elevate, along with 559 stores through Project Renovate [7] - For fiscal 2025, the company plans to execute 4,885 real estate projects, including the opening of 575 stores in the U.S. and up to 15 stores in Mexico [8] Future Guidance - Dollar General now expects net sales growth of 3.7% to 4.7%, up from the previous outlook of 3.4% to 4.4%, with same-store sales projected to increase by 1.5% to 2.5% [11] - EPS is anticipated to be between $5.20 and $5.80, compared to the previous estimate of approximately $5.10 to $5.80 [11] Financial Snapshot - The 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 [10] - Capital expenditures during the fiscal first quarter amounted to $290.9 million, with an anticipated range of $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion for fiscal 2025 [10]