Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

In the latest close session, Dollar General (DG - Free Report) was down 2.67% at $120.14. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.38%. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.02%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.9%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the discount retailer had gained 6.06% outpaced the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 0.77% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.27%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Dollar General in its upcoming release. The company is expected to report EPS of $2, up 7.53% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $11.17 billion, indicating a 4.16% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $7.36 per share and a revenue of $44.4 billion, representing changes of +7.45% and +3.92%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Dollar General. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.

Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.05% lower. Dollar General currently has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

From a valuation perspective, Dollar General is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.76. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 27.98, so one might conclude that Dollar General is trading at a discount comparatively.

We can additionally observe that DG currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.88. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Retail - Discount Stores industry stood at 2.46 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Retail - Discount Stores industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 7, this industry ranks in the top 3% of all industries, numbering over 250.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.

It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Dollar General (DG - Free Report) . Shares have added about 9.6% in that time frame, outperforming the S&P 500.

But investors have to be wondering, will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Dollar General due for a pullback? Before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late, let's take a quick look at its latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the important catalysts.

Dollar General Beats Q1 Earnings Estimates, Raises FY26 ViewDollar General reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 results, wherein the top line missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while the bottom line beat the same. Both net sales and earnings increased year over year, reflecting solid execution of its strategic initiatives, positive customer traffic trends and operating margin expansion, which more than offset the impact of severe winter weather and higher fuel costs.

The company witnessed a rise across all major merchandise categories, supported by same-store sales growth and contributions from new stores. Better-than-expected first-quarter bottom-line performance prompted management to lift its fiscal 2026 earnings view.

More on DG’s Q1 PerformanceDollar General posted quarterly earnings of $2.00 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.89. The bottom line increased 12.4% from $1.78 reported in the year-ago quarter.

Net sales of $10,787 million rose 3.4% year over year. Revenues narrowly missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $10,822 million. The increase was driven by positive contributions from new stores and growth in same-store sales, partially offset by store closures.

Same-store sales improved 2%, reflecting a 1.4% rise in customer traffic and a 0.5% increase in average transaction amount. The quarter marked positive comparable-sales growth across all major categories, including consumables, seasonal, home products and apparel.

DG’s Key Metrics & Margin InsightsDollar General’s consumables category generated sales of $8,892.5 million, up 3% from the prior-year quarter. Seasonal sales increased 6% to $1,084.3 million, while home products sales rose 3.1% to $523 million. Apparel sales advanced 6.7% to $287.2 million.

Gross margin expanded 65 basis points to 31.6%, benefiting from higher inventory markups, lower shrink and reduced inventory damages, partly offset by increased markdowns and transportation costs.

SG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, deleveraged 25 basis points to 25.7%. The increase mainly stemmed from higher depreciation and amortization expenses, utilities and property taxes, partly offset by lower incentive compensation.

Dollar General’s operating profit increased 10.8% to $638.5 million. Operating margin expanded 40 basis points to 5.9%.

DG’s Financial SnapshotDollar General ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $1,353.1 million, long-term obligations of $4,563.1 million and total shareholders’ equity of $8,843.3 million.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $716.2 million in the first quarter. Capital expenditures totaled $352 million, including $203 million for improvements, upgrades, remodels and relocations of existing stores, $73 million for new-store facilities, $62 million for distribution and transportation-related projects and $12 million for information systems and technology-related projects.

DG’s Store UpdatesDuring the quarter, Dollar General opened 190 new stores in the United States and five new stores in Mexico. It remodeled 659 stores through Project Renovate and 711 stores through Project Elevate, while relocating six stores.

Management reiterated plans to execute nearly 4,730 real estate projects in fiscal 2026, including about 450 new stores in the United States and 10 new stores in Mexico, nearly 2,000 Project Renovate remodels, approximately 2,250 Project Elevate remodels and about 20 store relocations.

What to Expect From DG in Fiscal 2026?Dollar General raised its fiscal 2026 earnings per share guidance to $7.20-$7.45 from the prior view of $7.10-$7.35. The company continues to expect net sales growth of 3.7-4.2% and same-store sales growth of 2.2-2.7% for fiscal 2026. Capital expenditures are still projected in the $1.4-$1.5 billion range.

How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?In the past month, investors have witnessed a upward trend in fresh estimates.

VGM ScoresCurrently, Dollar General has a nice Growth Score of B, though it is lagging a bit on the Momentum Score front with a C. Charting a somewhat similar path, the stock has a grade of B on the value side, putting it in the top 40% for value investors.

Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of A. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.

OutlookEstimates have been trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Notably, Dollar General has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.

Performance of an Industry PlayerDollar General is part of the Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry. Over the past month, Target (TGT - Free Report) , a stock from the same industry, has gained 4.4%. The company reported its results for the quarter ended April 2026 more than a month ago.

Target reported revenues of $25.44 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +6.7%. EPS of $1.71 for the same period compares with $1.30 a year ago.

For the current quarter, Target is expected to post earnings of $2.21 per share, indicating a change of +7.8% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +0.1% over the last 30 days.

The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Target. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of A.