Here's Why Dollar General Stock Is Surging Today
Shares of discount-retail chain Dollar General (NYSE: DG) surged higher on Thursday after the company reported financial results for the first quarter of 2022. Despite slumping sales growth, management is forecasting resilient profits, which is exciting for investors. As of 10:15 a.m. ET, Dollar General stock was up 13%.
In Q1, net sales for Dollar General were only up 4.2% from the same quarter of 2021 and this increase was mostly the result of having more stores than last year. Same-store sales, a metric that tracks sales at stores that were already open last year, were actually down 0.1% year over year.
Dollar General's diluted earnings per share (EPS) fell 14.5% year over year to $2.41 in Q1. More customers are buying consumables (like food and drink) than this time last year, and these items generally come with a lower gross profit margin, which negatively impacted the company during the quarter. Moreover, higher labor costs are boosting operational expenses and hurting its bottom line.
Source Fool.com
