Dollar General Q1 EPS $2.00 Beats Consensus, Raises FY Forecast to $7.20–7.45
DG•Dollar General delivered Q1 EPS of $2.00, topping the $1.89 consensus and driving net sales up 3.4% to $10.79 billion led by 2.0% same-store gains. The retailer raised its full-year EPS forecast to $7.20–$7.45 while maintaining a 3.7%–4.2% sales growth outlook.
1. Strong First-Quarter Performance
Dollar General reported diluted EPS of $2.00 for Q1, surpassing the $1.89 consensus and up 12.4% year-on-year. Net sales rose 3.4% to $10.79 billion, driven by a 1.4% increase in customer traffic and a 0.5% rise in average transaction amount. Gross margin expanded by 65 basis points to 31.6%, resulting in operating profit of $638.5 million, a 10.8% increase over the prior year.
2. Raised Full-Year Forecast
The company lifted its fiscal 2026 diluted EPS guidance to $7.20–$7.45 from the prior $7.10–$7.35 range. Top-line projections remain unchanged, targeting net sales growth of 3.7%–4.2% and same-store sales growth of 2.2%–2.7%, excluding any potential tariff refund benefits.
3. Store Expansion and Dividend
At quarter-end, Dollar General operated 21,055 stores across all formats, opening 195 new locations and closing 33. The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.59 per share, payable July 21, 2026 to shareholders of record on July 7, 2026.
