Dollar Tree Rises 5% on Q3 Earnings & Sales Beat, Upbeat View

Dollar Tree, Inc. DLTR has reported strong third-quarter fiscal 2024 results, with both earnings and sales surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improving year over year. Dollar Tree’s adjusted earnings per share (EPS) grew 15.5% year over year to $1.12 and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.07.Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Canledar.Consolidated net sales improved 3.5% year over year to $7.56 billion and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.45 billion. Enterprise same-store sales (comps) grew 1.8% year over year. The company’s comps benefited from a 1.6% rise in traffic and a 0.2% increase in the average ticket.Shares of Dollar Tree rose 5.1% in the pre-market session, following the robust third-quarter fiscal 2024 performance. Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 5.9% in the past three months against the industry’s 6% growth.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchDLTR’s Quarterly Performance: Key Metrics and InsightsComps improved 1.8% for the Dollar Tree banner and 1.9% for the Family Dollar banner. The Dollar Tree segment benefited from a 1.5% rise in traffic and a 0.3% improvement in the average ticket. Comps at Family Dollar were aided by a 1.8% increase in traffic and a flat average ticket.Our model predicted year-over-year enterprise comps growth of 2.4% for the fiscal third quarter, with a 2.7% increase in the Dollar Tree banner and a 1.9% increase in Family Dollar.The gross profit rose 7.6% year over year to $2.34 billion, whereas the gross margin expanded 120 basis points (bps) to 30.9%. Lower freight costs and improved shrink mainly aided the gross margin. This was partly negated by higher distribution costs. The gross margin expanded 60 bps to 35.4% at the Dollar Tree banner and 130 bps to 24.9% at the Family Dollar segment.We estimated a year-over-year rise of 5.2% in adjusted gross profit and a 90-bps expansion in gross margin.Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses were 26.5% of total revenues, up 80 bps from 25.7% in the year-earlier quarter. The increase was driven primarily by increased depreciation expenses from store investments, temporary labor in the Dollar Tree unit to aid multi-price rollout, elevated utility costs and loss of leverage from comps increase.Adjusted operating income rose 13.8% year over year to $343.2 million. The operating margin expanded 40 bps to 4.5%.Dollar Tree, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise Dollar Tree, Inc. price-eps-surprise | Dollar Tree, Inc. QuoteDLTR’s Financial HealthDollar Tree ended the fiscal third quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $697.6 million. As of Nov. 2, 2024, net merchandise inventories were $5.54 billion, up 0.4% year over year. It had a net long-term debt, excluding the current portion, of $2.43 billion and shareholders’ equity of $7.64 billion as of the same date.Dollar Tree’s Store UpdateIn the fiscal third quarter, the company opened 255, re-bannered four and closed 49 stores. These openings included 249 Dollar Tree stores and 6 Family Dollar outlets. The closures included 8 Dollar Tree and 41 Family Dollar stores while re-bannering four Family Dollar outlets. The store closings were mainly related to its earlier announced comprehensive store portfolio optimization review. As of Nov. 2, 2024, DLTR operated 16,590 stores in 48 states and five Canadian provinces.In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023, the company announced a comprehensive review of its Family Dollar portfolio to identify stores that are not aligned with its transformative vision for closure, relocation or re-bannering. As part of the review, the company had identified nearly 970 underperforming Family Dollar stores, including 600 stores to be closed in the first half of fiscal 2024 and approximately 370 to be shut down at the end of each store's current lease term.As of Nov. 2, 2024, the company closed 670 stores as part of its portfolio optimization and anticipates closing another 25 stores in the rest of fiscal 2024.What to Expect From DLTR in Q4 & Fiscal 2024?DLTR revised its fiscal 2024 view to reflect the robust third-quarter results. For fiscal 2024, consolidated net sales are projected to be $30.7-$30.9 billion compared with the prior view of $30.6-$30.9 billion. Comps growth is estimated to be in the low-single-digits for the enterprise and both the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar segments. It envisions adjusted EPS to be $5.31-$5.51, narrower from the earlier estimated range of $5.20-$5.60.For the fiscal fourth quarter, management projects consolidated net sales to be $8.1-$8.3 billion and comps growth in the low-single-digits for the enterprise and both the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar segments. Adjusted EPS is likely to be $2.10-$2.30.Key PicksWe have highlighted three better-ranked stocks, namely The Gap Inc. GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch ANF and Deckers Outdoor DECK.Gap, a premier international specialty retailer offering a diverse range of clothing, accessories, and personal care products, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Gap’s financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 0.8% and 39.9%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter’s figures. GAP delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 101.2%, on average.Abercrombie operates as a specialty retailer of premium, high-quality casual apparel for men, women, and kids. ANF currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. ANF delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.8%, on average.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abercrombie’s current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 14.9% and 67.5%, respectively, from the year-ago figures.Deckers is a leading designer, producer and brand manager of innovative, niche footwear and accessories developed for outdoor sports and other lifestyle-related activities. DECK currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Deckers’ current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 13.6% and 12.6%, respectively, from the year-ago quarter’s reported figures. DECK delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 41.1%, on average.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant 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 Dollar Tree, Inc. (DLTR): Free Stock Analysis Report Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF): Free Stock Analysis Report Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DECK): Free Stock Analysis Report The Gap, Inc. (GAP): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks