Dollar Tree Inc. (DLTR – Free Report) posted fourth-quarter fiscal 2017 results, wherein both earnings and sales missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. However, results improved year over year. Also, management issued guidance for first-quarter and fiscal 2018.
Following the quarterly results, shares of the company declined 13.4% in pre-market trading. However, the stock has gained 26% in the past six months compared with the industry’s growth of 23.2%.
Quarter in Detail
Dollar Tree’s quarterly adjusted earnings of $1.89 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny. However, the metric rose substantially by $1.39 in the prior-year quarter. Additionally, it came at the higher end of the company’s guided range. The year-over-year improvement can be attributed to higher sales, rise in comparable store sales (comps) and higher margins.
On a GAAP basis, earnings per share came in at $4.37 compared with $1.36 in the year-ago quarter.
Consolidated net sales were up 12.9% to $6,360.6 million in the quarter, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $6,401 million.
Comps in the quarter increased 2.4% in constant currency, driven by improved customer count and average ticket. Including the impact of Canadian currency fluctuations, the metric improved 2.5%. While Dollar Tree banner posted comps growth of 3.8% (in constant-currency), comps at the Family Dollar banner rose 1%.
The company’s quarterly gross profit advanced 16.3% year over year to $2,101 million, with the gross margin expanding 90 basis points (bps) to 33%. The margin expansion was backed by reduced merchandise costs, lower markdowns and occupancy expenses, as a percentage of sales. The increase was somewhat compensated with higher freight charges.
Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses dropped 40 bps to 21.3% of sales, thanks to reduced depreciation, lower repair and maintenance costs, as a percentage of sales. This was somewhat offset by increased hourly payroll and incentive compensation expenses as well as higher advertising expenses.
