Advertisement
U.S. markets close in 5 hours 4 minutes
  • S&P 500

    5,253.92
    +5.43 (+0.10%)
     
  • Dow 30

    39,765.98
    +5.90 (+0.01%)
     
  • Nasdaq

    16,404.50
    +4.98 (+0.03%)
     
  • Russell 2000

    2,126.56
    +12.21 (+0.58%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.35
    +1.00 (+1.23%)
     
  • Gold

    2,233.80
    +21.10 (+0.95%)
     
  • Silver

    24.83
    +0.08 (+0.34%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0804
    -0.0026 (-0.24%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2000
    +0.0040 (+0.10%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2636
    -0.0002 (-0.02%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.2080
    -0.0380 (-0.03%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    71,373.18
    +1,635.79 (+2.35%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,968.04
    +36.06 (+0.45%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     

Sturdy Comps to Fuel Dollar General (DG), SG&A Costs a Woe

Dollar General Corporation’s DG solid prospects, brand recognition and earnings outlook bode well for the stock. The company’s commitment toward better pricing, private label offering, effective inventory management, and merchandise and operational initiatives should drive sales and margins. These along with a compelling store growth story at convenient locations and focus on consumable products provide the company an edge over competitors.

Increased focus on the consumables category, a significant contributor to sales, is likely to help drive traffic and comparable-store sales improvement by endorsing itself as a one-stop shopping destination for necessary items. Increased set-up of cooler facilities to boost the sale of perishable items is likely to drive trips and basket size. The digital coupon program and DG Go app will also in all probability increase conversion rate.

Dollar General’s comparable-store sales growth story is remarkable. Fiscal 2017 marked the 28th consecutive year of comparable-store sales growth for the company. The trend was maintained in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, with comps rising 2.1% on increased transactions. Consumables provided a major boost.

Dollar General Corporation Price and Consensus

Dollar General Corporation Price and Consensus | Dollar General Corporation Quote

Management anticipates net sales for fiscal 2018 to increase by 9% year on year. Further, earnings for the fiscal are envisioned in the range of $5.95-$6.15 per share, up from $4.49 in fiscal 2017.

The company has adopted a disciplined approach to store openings, expansion and refurbishment. It plans to open 900 stores, remodel 1,000 and relocate approximately 100 in fiscal 2018. Of the planned remodels, roughly 400 locations are likely to be upgraded to Dollar General Traditional Plus format with a higher cooler count. This is likely to lift comparable sales by 10-15%. Moreover, the company is focusing on smaller format stores that require less capital expenditure and help cope with space constraint.

As Dollar General is committed toward ramping up investments in store expansion, cost hurdles associated with the same is a threat to margins. SG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, have been on the rise due to elevated retail labor, occupancy and utility costs. During the first quarter, Dollar General’s SG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, rose 60 basis points to 22.4%, which also impacted operating margin.

We note that shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have surged 42% in a year, almost in line with the industry.

3 Picks You Can’t Miss

Urban Outfitters URBN delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 19.8% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 12% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Fossil Group FOSL delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 54.1% in the trailing four quarters. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Burlington Stores BURL delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 17.8% in the trailing four quarters. It has a long-term earnings growth rate of 18.1% and a Zacks Rank #2.

Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?

Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.

Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.

See the pot trades we're targeting>>


Want 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
 
Fossil Group, Inc. (FOSL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Dollar General Corporation (DG) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Advertisement