Dollar General Profit Beats, But Sales Fall Short

Dollar General Corp. said it had net income of $253 million, or 84 cents a share, in the first quarter, up from $222 million, or 72 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Sales rose 8.8% to $4.92 billion. The FactSet consensus was for EPS of 81 cents and sales of $4.94 billion. Same-store sales rose 3.7%, compared with the FactSet consensus of 4.1%. Looking ahead, the retailer said it expects full-year sales growth of 8% to 9% and EPS of $3.85 to $3.95. The current FactSet consensus is for full-year EPS of $3.94. Shares were not yet active in premarket trade, but are up 3% in the year so far, while the S&P 500 has gained about 2.5%.